Rupert Murdoch's newspapers all advocate the re-election of the Howard government. Are you shocked?

Let's do the rounds of the editorials:

The Australian (News Ltd, national) - No convincing reason to kick out Coalition:

On the basis of what they have placed before us in this campaign, neither side of politics merits enthusiastic endorsement. But a choice must be made, and on that basis we should look to Mr Howard's record and Mr Latham's promise.... And we know that for all his policy failings, Australia has grown richer under his leadership....

...his [Latham's] utterly false dichotomy between securing Australia's borders and acting to defeat terror at its source, which is what we are about in Iraq, shows he still has much to learn about the mainsprings of the US alliance: our shared commitment to values of freedom, democracy and human rights.... [Howard] has managed Australia's security capably during a period of great instability....

There is a case for change alright, but it would need to be based on a reform program that extends, rather than unwinds, the gains of the past two decades. Labor has not made such a case, and so The Australian believes the Howard Government deserves to be returned tomorrow.

Daily Telegraph (News Ltd, Sydney, one half of duopoly) - Howard deserves another term:

The Daily Telegraph believes the Howard Government deserves to be re-elected. John Howard has not been a perfect prime minister. But he has served the national interest well. ...
John Howard along with George W. Bush and Tony Blair has been troubled politically by the failure to find WMDs in Iraq. But as with Mr Bush and Mr Blair, Mr Howard has a compelling answer – he acted on available intelligence, he acted to remove a murderous dictator in Saddam Hussein, he acted to enable elections in a country we must stand by on its path to democracy....

John Howard...has a formula of economic and social conservatism which settles the nerves of a large sweep of voters.

Herald-Sun (News Ltd, Melbourne, one half of duopoly) - Not the right time to change:

Whoever wins government should have the experience and willpower to keep the alliance strong and tackle terrorism aggressively. The Coalition is clearly best placed on both issues....Labor's deal with the Greens now leaves it in bed with a party whose extreme ideas include controlled access to illegal drugs such as ecstasy....The Herald Sun sees no reason to vote for change tomorrow. The country is in healthy shape and in safe hands.

Courier-Mail (News Ltd, Brisbane, monopoly) - Mr Howard has earned his fourth term:

Prompted by the challenge from the Opposition, Mr Howard revitalised his government, and had his ministers produce a host of policy initiatives, including MedicarePlus, that were announced and put into effect well before the election was called...The policy focus of the past six weeks has taken the light off weaknesses Labor brought into this election. In particular, they are Mr Latham's ill-considered promise to bring home troops from Iraq by Christmas to the detriment of our most valued foreign alliance...When Mr Howard's economic record and experience are put in the balance he is clearly the best choice to lead Australia for the next three years.

The Advertiser (News Ltd, Adelaide, monopoly) - An election which offers a clear choice:

The choice is either another term for an entrenched and experienced Coalition government or a fresh start with an innovative but untried Labor Party....In his eight years as Prime Minister, Mr Howard's economic record is beyond serious criticism. Almost every facet of the economy, from growth and employment to interest rates and inflation, are at or near best-ever levels....

Mr Latham might be ready to be Australia's next prime minister. But he will be better prepared with an election under his belt and a significant track record in Labor's top job. Given these considerations, it is too difficult to advocate anything other than returning the Coalition at tomorrow's election.

Meanwhile, over at Fairfax, a mixed bag.

The Age (Fairfax, Melbourne, one half of duopoly) - On balance, Coalition deserves re-election:

The Government's solid achievements as economic managers, together with Mr Latham's inexperience and the fact that he still seems to be a work in progress, lead us to believe it would be best for the nation if the Coalition wins tomorrow's poll.

and last, but by no means least...

Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax, Sydney, one half of duopoly) - It's time for a vote of greater independence:

Elections mark a nation's changing times. This election marks change for us, the Herald. There comes a time when a newspaper, having expressed its voting preference for more than 170 years, as has the Herald, must renew and reassess its claim on independence so that its pursuit of truth is not only free of partisanship and without fear or favour, but is seen to be so. From today, the Herald no longer will endorse a political party.

Cough! cough! cough! Pardon me while I pick myself up off the floor...

One footnote: Nowhere, in any of those editorials, is there a single mention of "Children Overboard", "Tampa", "Pacific Solution", or indeed refugees at all.