The man who is expected to become Australia's next prime minister, Tony Abbott, has lavished praise on media magnate Rupert Murdoch.
Mr Murdoch's publications have played a controversial role in this election campaign, with Labor accusing them of running an extraordinary campaign against the Rudd government.
But Mr Abbott on Friday said Mr Murdoch, who is now a US citizen, should be supported for his achievements.
"I've got a lot of time for Rupert Murdoch because whether you like his papers or don't like his papers he's one of the most influential Australians of all time," he told Triple M radio in Melbourne.
"Aussies should support our hometown heroes, that's what I think in his own way Rupert Murdoch is."
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Mr Murdoch has made no secret of his desire for Mr Abbott to defeat Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, personally tweeting his support on August 20.
On Monday, Mr Abbott was asked if he thought he owed anything for the favourable coverage.
"Absolutely not, absolutely not," he told ABC TV's 730.
The Rudd government has been the subject of controversial coverage from several News Corp Australia papers, from Sydney's Daily Telegraph and Brisbane's Courier Mail in particular.
They included the Daily Telegraph's front-page editorial on first day of the election campaign demanding voters kick Labor out of office, followed by the infamous Hogan's Heroes send up, and the Courier Mail's Send in the Clown front page when Peter Beattie was installed as the candidate for Forde.
