Australian Prime Minister John Howard and his ministers scrambled on Monday to reduce the damage done by a leaked party dossier which says voters see him as old and dishonest.

Mr Howard admitted that he and his conservative Liberal Party were struggling in the opinion polls with an election due by the end of the year, but said he believed their position had improved, as the dossier was compiled in June. The document by two Liberal strategists which was leaked to the Daily Telegraph, said voters had lost faith in Mr Howard, 68, but saw opposition leader Kevin Rudd, 49, as genuine and accessible.

“There is significant disillusionment with Liberals on the issue of broken promises and dishonesty,” the dossier said.“With the arrival of a younger leadership alternative, the age and energy of the government has also been thrown into question”. Mr Howard, who has been in power for more than a decade, has acknowledged that a series of opinion polls has shown his party could be beaten in elections due by the end of this year. “We have been struggling this year, politically, there’s no doubt about that and I think that research reflected some of the negative views that were around,” Mr Howard told commercial radio on Monday.

“It was done a couple of months ago. I think our position has improved since then”.

When queried whether he was dishonest, Mr Howard replied,  “that is the view of some people. I reject that totally”.

He attributed voters’ reported concerns over his age to attacks by Mr Rudd’s centre-left Labour Party.