Howard promises spy school
 |  Howard waves to the party faithful at the coalition election campaign launch. |
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 CNN's Mike Chinoy looks at the two candidates running for Australian Prime Minister
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SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- A re-elected Howard government would establish a "spy school" in Australia to help train counter-terror intelligence officers from around the region.
The spy school was part of a $30 million (Aust. $40 million) anti-terrorism package announced by caretaker Prime Minister John Howard as a close-fought Australian election campaign enters its final days.
The spy school would be used to help improve language skills for Australian intelligence agents, particularly Indonesian and Arabic, as well as focus on technical and information technology training.
The center would also host intelligence agents from "regional partners in the war against terror," such as Indonesia.
"These agents will be trained in intelligence collection and analysis techniques, with which they can strengthen their country's capacity to disrupt the terrorist networks," the government's security policy release states.
Australians elect a new government on October 9, with latest opinion polls suggesting the race between Howard's incumbent conservative coalition and the Australian Labor Party, led by Mark Latham, is too close to call.
While the issue of national security has not played a major role in campaigning so far, Latham's lack of experience in government is considered a key weakness which the Howard forces are keen to exploit.
Howard has been stressing his credentials as the leader who can be best trusted to handle national security issues in an unstable international environment.
Labor has been focussing more on domestic issues such as national health care and education, while being scathing of Howard's record of accountability over the intelligence failures leading up to the war in Iraq.
The Howard government is a key member of the "coalition of the willing" and sent 2,000 troops, fighter aircraft and naval vessels to the invasion of Iraq.
Around 900 Australian troops remain in Iraq, with Latham pledging to bring them home by Christmas -- a move which could put a strain on Australia's long-standing military and political alliance with the U.S.
While opinion polls show the race is now evenly poised, the trend has been edging away from the Labor challengers in recent days.
An ACNielsen poll in The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday showed Howard's three-term administration leading the Labor Party 52 percent to 48 percent.
A Newspoll in The Australian newspaper on Tuesday showed Labor had lost a 52 percent to 48 percent lead recorded last week and now trailed the government by half a percentage point.
Under Australia's preferential voting system, votes for minor parties such as the Greens can be redistributed to major parties if no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the primary vote.
This system is expected to favor the Labor party on polling day.
However, the Liberal-National coalition will still hold onto power if a handful of key marginal electorates, particularly in suburban Sydney and Queensland state, remain in its hands.
