Are we there yet?

Australian media speculation is mounting concerning the date on which John Howard will call the federal election.

Punters appear to favour an announcement sometime today.

Many Clarence Valley residents would welcome an announcement sooner rather than later, as the phoney election campaign has begun to irritate.

With Labor supporting the Valley's opposition to any Clarence water diversion scheme and the Liberal-Nationals coalition supporting those water theft proposals, the federal election outcome will go a long way to deciding the future of the Clarence River and its communities.