Data and Background Information
Three speeches were selected for this study.One speech is taken from the Prime Minister，John Howard，one speech from the Opposition Leader，Kim Beazley，and the third speech is from the One Nation Party leader，Pauline Hanson.The speech given by Prime Minister John Howard was delivered in Sydney during his official launch for the 1998 federal election on September 20，1998.The speech made by Opposition Leader Kim Beazley was given during the Labor Party's main policy launch on September 23，1998 in Brisbane.The third speech is Ms Pauline Hanson's maiden speech which was presented by the leader of One Nation in the Australian Parliament House in 1997，in the capital city of Canberra.These speeches were transcribed by newspapers.The author recorded these speeches，and then compared them with the newspaper transcriptions to verify their authenticity.
The reasons for selecting these political speeches are very simple.In terms of meeting electoral expectations，the three parties share both a number of common and unique features.For example，though each party has its own target audience，a certain degree of overlapping also exists.Also，the three speakers can be seen as typical representatives of three different social groups of people in Australia.During the Federal election campaign，each speaker used his/her different strategies and rhetoric techniques to appeal to the public.Although their speech patterns underwent numerous revisions，their original essence remained unchanged.By analysing these different speeches，it is possible to see how Australian politicians use rhetoric techniques in gaining public support，and in avoiding responsibility.
The Coalition government comprises of two parties——the Liberal and National parties.The majority of Liberal party supporters come primarily from the middle and upper-middle classes such as businessmen and bankers.National Party support is centred mainly in rural areas.The federal coalition regained power in the 1998 election with the support of 48 percent of the national population.
The Australian Labor Party has its origins in the trade union movement.Today a large number of party members can be found amongst trade union activists and supporters.Its basic supporters are therefore middle and lower-middle income voters such as public servants and workers.The Medicare system，social security system and industrial relations'regulations（which protect worker's rights），are established or supported by the Labor Party.This party has lost the previous two national elections，including the 1998 federal election.It regained more than ten seats in this election，but still did not have enough numbers to form a government.More then 51%of voters supported this party in the election.
The One Nation Party formed in 1997，with Pauline Hanson as its leader.In spite of the fact that it was a new party，One Nation initially received strong nationwide support.It posed a threat to both the Liberal，National and Labor parties during the 1998 election period.It did not have the capacity to launch an effective political platform，and its doctrines were mainly based on Ms Hanson's maiden speech.One Nation's supporters could be found amongst a widespread cross section of the community.
The following sections will demonstrate how the three speakers use two main strategies in their speeches，that is，targeting strategy and avoidance strategy，with each strategy comprised of a number of various techniques and devices.