Election 'before December 5': Smith

4 Jul 2010, 10:56 am   -   Source: AAP
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As speculation mounts that a federal election will be called in the next few weeks, frontbencher Stephen Smith has set a date - before December 5.

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As speculation mounts that a federal election will be called in the next few weeks, frontbencher Stephen Smith has set a date - before December 5.

The foreign affairs and trade minister mocked opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey as "Sloppy Joe" for saying the election would have been called by now.

It hasn't been. Prime Minister Julia Gillard is not in Canberra on Sunday so it appears Australians will have to go at least a few more days before knowing the poll date.

Some insiders are tipping a late August election, which would be called in the next three weeks. But Ms Gillard could wait a few more months.

"I think the best thing to do is for people to draw a circle around the first Saturday in December and work back from that," Mr Smith told the Ten Network on Sunday.

He indicated he wouldn't try to second-guess Ms Gillard on the election date.

"There's only one person who knows, she may well have not made up her mind and she's certainly not telling."

Mr Smith defended Ms Gillard against a new opposition attack ad which depicts the prime minister as a puppet of Labor's factional and union warlords.

"She's her own person," he said.

The foreign minister pointed to Ms Gillard's record on getting industrial relations reforms through parliament, when she took a view "which didn't and wasn't consistent with the union view".

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