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| {{Infobox_Prime Minister | name= John Winston Howard | |||
| | image=John Howard May 2006.jpg | |||
| | order=25th ] | |||
| | term_start=] ] | |||
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| | successor=Incumbent | |||
| | birth_date=] ] | |||
| | birth_place=], ], ] | |||
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| '''John Winston Howard''' (born ] ]), an ]n politician, is currently the ]. He is the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after ]. He previously served as ] in ]'s government from 1977–1983 and was Leader of the ] from 1985–1989. Elected again as Leader in 1995, Howard became the 25th Prime Minister of Australia after defeating incumbent ] in the election of ] ]. His government has been subsequently re-elected in the elections of ], ] and ]. After his victory in 2004, his government gained control of both houses of the ] from July 2005. | |||
| ==Early life== | |||
| Howard grew up in the ] suburb of ]. His father, Lyell Howard, and his paternal grandfather, Walter Howard, were both veterans of the ] in ]. They later ran a ] station and mechanical workshop in ], where John Howard worked as a boy. Lyell Howard died during John's teenage years, leaving his mother to take care of John (or "Jack" as he was known in the family) and his three brothers. | |||
| Howard suffered from a ] in his youth,<ref name="transcript-lab_opening">{{cite web | url=http://www.pm.gov.au/News/Speeches/2000/DeafnessReasearch1102.htm | title=Transcript of the Prime Minister the Hon. John Howard MP, opening of the child deafness research laboratories at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, East Melbourne | publisher=PM News Room | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> and this has left him with a slight speech impediment, something that he shares with namesake ]. | |||
| Howard attended the publicly funded state schools ] and ]. In his final year at school he took part in a radio show hosted by ], ''Give It a Go'' broadcast on the commercial radio station, ], and a recording of the show survives<ref name="young_howard_recording">{{cite web | url=http://www.australianpolitics.com/sounds/2002/06/02-06-09_howard-and-jack-davey-1955.ram | title=Sixteen-year-old John Howard on a popular radio quiz show compered by Jack Davey {{RAMlink}} | publisher=australianpolitics.com | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref>. After gaining his Leaving Certificate, he studied law at the ]. Howard joined the ] in ]. | |||
| ==Rising politician== | |||
| ] | |||
| Howard practised for some years as a ] and simultaneously held office in the ] Liberal Party on the State Executive and as President of the ] (1962–64)<ref name="young_libs">{{cite web | url=http://www.younglibs.org.au/lifemembers.php | title=Young Liberals Life Members & Past Presidents | publisher=] | date=2006 | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref>, the party youth organisation. | |||
| During this period Howard was (and remains) a supporter of Australia's involvement in the ]. | |||
| In 1967 he was endorsed as candidate for the suburban state seat of ] which at the time was held by the ]. Howard's mother sold the family home in Earlwood and took up residence with him in a house within the electorate. At the election in February 1968, Howard was defeated by the ALP candidate although the incumbent state Liberal government was returned to office for a second term. | |||
| Howard continued living at home until ] when he married fellow Liberal Party member ], with whom he has three children. Although Janette has maintained a low profile during her husband's prime ministership — possibly in part due to health problems<ref name='janette_cervical_cancer'>{{cite web | url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/mrs-howards-cancer-fight/2006/10/16/1160850872613.html | title=Mrs Howard's cancer fight | publisher=] | date=2006-10-17 | accessdate=2006-11-09 }}</ref>but also to her own expressed preference<ref name='janette_low_profile_preference'>{{cite web | url=http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/meetpm.asp?pageName=wife&pmId=25 | title=John Howard/Janette Howard | publisher=] | accessdate=2006-11-09 }}</ref> —she is widely seen as having a major influence on his decision making. | |||
| Howard's next attempt to enter parliament was at a Federal level and was successful. He was elected to the ] as the Member of Parliament for the Sydney suburban seat of ] at the Federal election in May ]. When ]'s government came to power in December ], Howard was appointed ], and in December ] he was appointed Treasurer at the age of 38, for which appointment he became known as "the boy Treasurer". In April ] he was elected Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party. | |||
| During his period as Treasurer, Howard became a staunch adherent of ] (usually known as "]" in Australia). Like Thatcher, he embraced the fiscal policies of ] without the more "]" perspectives of the ] on ]. He favoured cuts to personal ] and business tax, lower ], the dismantling of the centralised wage-fixing system, the abolition of compulsory ] and the ] of ], views that have dominated his subsequent career. He became frustrated with the more moderate and pragmatic Fraser, who would not embark on these steps. In ] Howard nearly resigned in protest at Fraser's big-spending pre-election budget. As Federal Treasurer, John Howard presided over a period of very high interest rates, peaking at 22% on 8 April 1982 <ref name="historical_interest_rates">{{cite web | url=http://www.rba.gov.au/Statistics/Bulletin/F01Dhist.xls | title=Interest Rates and Yields - Money Market - Daily - F1 spreadsheet file | publisher=] | date=2006 | accessdate=2006-11-05}}</ref> (see: ). After the ] defeat of the Fraser Government, Howard was attacked by the incoming ] government for supposedly lying to Parliament about the size of the budget deficit left by the outgoing Fraser government. | |||
| ==Success, failure, success== | |||
| Following Fraser's resignation, Howard contested the Liberal leadership, but was defeated by ]. He remained Deputy Leader and became Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Peacock was defeated by Hawke at the ] and although he had lost by less than most commentators expected, Peacock began to worry that Howard was planning to challenge for the leadership. In May ] he tried to remove Howard from the Deputy Leadership position, expecting him to challenge for the Leadership. The plan backfired when Howard stood again for the deputy's position, and won. This put Peacock in an untenable position and he resigned, leaving Howard to take the leadership unopposed. | |||
| Howard said that "the times will suit me." In addition to his economic views, he became known as a strong ], supporting the ] against the so-called "permissive society", and was also sceptical of the promotion of ] at the expense of a shared ]. Howard is strongly opposed to ], or recognising "watered down" same sex ]s.<ref name="smh-gay_marriage">{{cite web | url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/push-to-legalise-gay-marriage/2005/12/31/1135915725605.html | title=Push to legalise gay marriage | publisher=] | author=Erin O'Dwyer | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> In 1985, in an interview he gave with '']'' published on July 30, Howard stated that he (like many other conservatives at the time) was opposed to ] against the ] government of ]. | |||
| During ] and ], with unemployment rising and the economy stagnant, Howard appeared to be making ground on the government. However, Howard's chances of winning the ] election were destroyed when the arch-conservative Premier of ], Sir ], launched a populist "]" campaign, temporarily splitting and discrediting the conservative forces. Hawke won the ] election comfortably. | |||
| In ], Howard's position was weakened by controversy following a speech in which he claimed that the rate of ]n ] into Australia was too high. In May ] Peacock launched a surprise leadership coup against Howard. After a brief stint on the ], Howard returned to the ] ], but his leadership career seemed to be over, particularly when Peacock lost the ] election and the Liberals turned to a new, younger leader, Dr. ]. Howard himself compared the possibility of a political comeback to "] with a ]". | |||
| Howard was an enthusiastic supporter of Hewson's economic program, with a ] (GST) as its centrepiece. When Hewson lost the "unloseable" ] to ], Howard was again passed over for the leadership, which went to ]. Downer failed to dent Keating's dominance and in January ] he resigned as leader. The party's Deputy Leader, ] was unwilling to step up to the leadership, and Howard became leader for the second time. | |||
| As Opposition Leader, Howard adopted a more pragmatic position than he had done during his first term in the leadership. He repudiated his earlier statements against ] and in favour of a GST. In a "small target" strategy, he attacked the "arrogance" and the "elitist" nature of Keating's "big picture" politics—issues like ] with Asia, ], multiculturalism and reconciliation with ]—which, Howard believed, were irrelevant to ordinary voters. | |||
| Howard's principal ] in each of his successful election campaigns has been ]. | |||
| ==Prime Minister== | |||
| ===The 1996 election campaign=== | |||
| Howard won over many traditional Labor voters, sometimes called the "Howard battlers" (roughly equivalent to the American ]s), and scored a sweeping victory at the ] over Keating to become Prime Minister of Australia at the age of 56. | |||
| In the lead up to the ] election, ], the Liberal candidate for ] in Queensland was disendorsed because of comments she made to '']''. Howard was slow to express views on Hanson; his initial public reaction was to comment that he thought it was good that the years of "]" were finally over. Howard's lukewarm response was variously interpreted as either indicating tacit support for Hanson's sentiments, or as a disingenuous attempt to harness their popularity among certain segments of the electorate. Hanson was elected as an independent member and used her first speech to Parliament to attack multiculturalism and reconciliation, alleging that "we are in danger of being swamped by Asians"<ref name="hanson_speech">{{cite web | url=http://www.australian-news.com.au/maiden_speech.htm | title=Pauline Hanson's maiden speech in federal parliament | publisher=Australian News Commentary | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref>. She later formed the ] political party. | |||
| ===First term: 1996–1998=== | |||
| ] in 1997]] | |||
| Howard and his cabinet immediately announced the previous government had left behind a "budget black hole" that necessitated considerable reduction in almost all areas of government expenditure. Training and education programs developed under the Keating government were scrapped, infrastructure investment was scaled down, funding for indigenous bodies was reduced, and a system of "]" requiring ] seekers to engage in work was introduced. Prudent economic management remained the government's strongest claim throughout its term, and a prolonged period of economic growth (which some observers have claimed was simply the payoff from Keating's earlier reforms<ref name="Cause of economic growth in 90's">{{cite web | url=https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/as.html#Intro | title=United States, Central Intelligence Agency, Assesment of Australian Economic History | publisher=CIA World Factbook | date=] | accessdate=2006-11-01}}</ref>), combined with strong budget surpluses, remain an essential element in its popularity. | |||
| In ], Australia was stunned when 35 people were killed by ] in the ]. Howard responded by coordinating action by the ] to heavily restrict the private ownership of ], ]s and ]. This action and an accompanying "gun buy-back scheme" were popular with the general population but not with ]. | |||
| The Howard government did not have a majority in the ], instead facing a situation where legislation had to be negotiated past either the ] or the ]. The Senate blocked or delayed much of the Government's more controversial legislation, including the partial privatisation of the government-owned telecommunications company, ]; the modification of ] laws to promulgate individual contracts; increases in ] fees; large funding cuts in the ] and ] budgets; a 30% private ] rebate; and the extinguishment of ] on ]s (following the ]'s ] decision). | |||
| Howard had come to office promising to improve standards of integrity among ministers and politicians, introducing a strict "Code of Ministerial Conduct" at the start of his term. The strictness of his code backfired when a succession of seven of his ministers (], ], ], ], ], ], and ]) were required to resign following breaches of the code, concerning a variety of "travel rorts" (misuse of the ministerial travel allowance) and conflicts of interest between ministerial responsibilities and share ownership. Prosser had attempted to use his ministerial office to further his own business interests. Another two ministers (] and ]) were discovered to have breached the code, but at that point Howard opted to ignore it, rather than lose more of his front bench. | |||
| ===The 1998 election campaign=== | |||
| The ] campaign was dominated by two issues. One was reform of the tax system, including the introduction of the ] (GST; a broad-based ]), which Howard had several years earlier said he would "never, ever" introduce; the other was One Nation. | |||
| At the October 1998 election, the Liberal-National Coalition, suffered a large swing, largely driven by a scare campaign against the Goods and Services Tax. Labor leader ] won 51% of the national ], but the Liberals ran an effective marginal electorate ] and were returned with a comfortable majority in parliament. | |||
| Although One Nation had previously surprised commentators with a resounding performance in the ], its national campaign was poorly administered and One Nation failed to win any House of Representatives seats. An electoral redistribution had rendered Pauline Hanson's seat of Oxley unwinnable. She stood in neighbouring electorate ] but was defeated. | |||
| ===Second term: 1998–2001=== | |||
| Despite Howard's essentially domestic focus, external issues intruded significantly into Howard's second term when the people of ] voted for independence in a ]. ]n militia, covertly backed by Indonesian troops, began a brutal campaign of repression. After enormous public pressure, Howard broke with the previous bi-partisan policy of unquestioning support for Indonesia, and Australia contributed a significant peacekeeping/policing force to protect the inhabitants against pro-Indonesian militias, attracting praise domestically and in several countries, but angering some Indonesians and ]. | |||
| The other major issue during Howard's second term was the implementation of the GST, replacing a range of taxes on specific goods with a flat rate on almost all goods and services. All GST revenue is distributed to the states. This was intended to give the States responsibility for their own finances and end the annual funding squabble between the States and the Federal Government. The Federal Government continues to determine the share of GST revenue received by each state. | |||
| Howard was only able to pass the GST legislation through the Senate after making a deal with ]' leader Senator ] to exclude a number of items from the GST, most notably fresh food such as fruit and vegetables. This increased the complexity of the GST, which had already increased the frequency and detail of reporting required by small businesses. | |||
| As a partial offset for the GST, a $7,000 "first home buyers grant" was introduced in ].<ref name="first_home">{{cite web | url=http://www.firsthome.gov.au/ | title=First Home Owner Grant - General Information | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> The grant was paid at settlement, and Australian banks chose to count it towards a buyer's deposit, increasing the borrowing limit of applicants by approximately $70,000 and feeding a housing boom already sparked by world-wide low interest rates. | |||
| Most of the resentment for the GST fell on the Democrats, but the Howard government was trailing in the polls in ]. The government lost a by-election in the normally safe electorate of ] in ], and Labor governments were elected in all the states and territories (except ], which fell to Labor in 2002). In response to the declining position at this time, a number of policy changes were made, including the abandonment of petrol ] ] and increased government benefits to self-funded retirees. | |||
| John Howard's government also considered the issue of a national apology to Aboriginal Australians for their treatment by previous generations following the European settlement of the country. | |||
| Howard refrained from making a national apology (although all State and Territory Governments did so) and instead personally expressed "deep sorrow" while maintaining that "Australians of this generation should not be required to accept guilt and blame for past actions and policies." <ref name="speech-reconciliation_convention">{{cite web | url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/special/rsjproject/rsjlibrary/car/arc/speeches/opening/howard.htm | title=Opening Speech of Australian Reconciliation Convention | publisher=Australasian Legal Information Institute | date=] | accessdate=2006-08-23}}</ref> | |||
| ===The 2001 election campaign=== | |||
| A major change in Howard's political fortunes occurred in August and September ], when the government refused permission for the ] freighter ], carrying a group of asylum seekers picked up in international waters, to enter Australian waters. Howard ordered the ship be boarded by ] and spoke strongly of the need for Australia to "decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come". This brought censure from the ]<ref name="un_general_assembly">{{cite web | url=http://www.un.org/spanish/aboutun/organs/ga/56/verbatim/a56pv65e.pdf | title=United Nations General Assembly - Fifty-sixth session | format=PDF | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> at the ] as failure to meet obligations to distressed mariners under international law. The ] further increased hostility towards asylum-seekers fleeing ]ic countries. | |||
| The government introduced tough "border protection" legislation. ] and the Labor opposition found themselves in a difficult political position. An electorally significant fraction of the ALP's working-class voters backed the Howard line on asylum-seekers, while the party's middle-class supporters were overwhelmingly opposed to it. ] between the two camps, Beazley offered half-hearted support to Howard's legislation, infuriating the middle class without winning back any of the anti-immigration vote from Howard. | |||
| At the ] the Coalition was re-elected, with a larger majority than in 1998. | |||
| ===Third term: 2001–2004=== | |||
| In the two years after the ] election the Howard government continued its tough line on ] and "border protection" issues, while seeking to further its agenda of conservative social policies and pro-business economic reforms. Despite its victory in ], the government did not have a Senate majority, and its ability to pass planned legislation was restricted. | |||
| Howard's reputation was damaged in what became known as the ] affair, when it was demonstrated that one of his claims during the asylum-seeker debate, that asylum-seekers had "thrown their children overboard" in order to force the government to allow them to land in Australia, was untrue and that he had most likely been aware of this during the election campaign.{{fact}} Howard also faced a difficult issue in the allegations that Howard's choice as ], Dr. ], in his previous job as ] ], had refused to investigate Anglican priests accused of ] in various churches: eventually Hollingworth was forced to resign the governor-generalship amidst a storm of controversy that threatened to damage the credibility of his office. | |||
| So long as the issue of national security was prominent in the minds of voters and the Australian economy remained strong, Howard retained a clear political advantage over his opponents. Throughout ] and ] he kept his lead in the opinion polls over the then Labor leader, ]. Following the October ] ], Howard placed a renewed emphasis on his government's approach to national security. | |||
| In March ], Howard joined the ] in sending troops and naval units to support the ] in the ] and the removal of ] from power. Howard spoke strongly about the need to rid Iraq of the ], which he said he had evidence that Saddam's regime possessed.<ref name="hansard-reasons_for_war">{{cite web | url=http://parlinfoweb.aph.gov.au/piweb/view_document.aspx?ID=2199337&TABLE=HANSARDR | title=Howard's speech to parliament in which he puts forward his claims of threat from Iraq as reasons for Australian support of the subsequent invasion of Iraq in 2003 | publisher=Hansard of the Parliament of Australia | date=] | accessdate=2006-10-11}}</ref> | |||
| Australian opinion was deeply divided on the war and large public protests against the war occurred.<ref name="smh-war_protests">{{cite web | url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/13/1050172471571.html | title=Protests across Australia against war | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> Several senior figures from the Liberal party, including ], a former president of the Liberal Party, and Howard's former friend and colleague,<ref name="ninemsn-interview_on_sunday">{{cite web | url=http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/political_transcripts/article_1622.asp | title=Interview with John Howard on Sunday (TV series) | publisher=] | author=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> former Opposition Leader ]<ref name="abc-hewson_criticism">{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/sydney/stories/s806819.htm | title=Dr John Hewson - the case against Australian involvement in war | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> and former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser<ref name="age-fraser_criticism">{{cite web | url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/23/1061529379618.html | title=Liberal blast from one PM to another | publisher=] | author=Andrew Webster | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> publicly criticised Howard over Iraq. John Valder's criticism was particularly strong, claiming that Howard should be tried and punished as a ].<ref name="smh-valder_criticism">{{cite web | url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/18/1090089035899.html | title=Howard is war criminal, says former colleague | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> Howard's credibility and due diligence was questioned when no weapons of mass destruction were discovered in Iraq. | |||
| On ] ], Howard made a surprise visit to Australian defence personnel in Iraq. This came amid a bitter debate in Australia over the war following opposition leader ]'s promise to return Australian troops by ]. Howard portrayed Latham as a threat to the ]. After the 2004 federal election, it was revealed that Latham believed the ] alliance was a legacy of the ]. | |||
| The ]–] budget increased family payments and tax cuts for middle income earners, and contributed to a recovery by the government in the opinion polls. | |||
| In August 2004, Howard's proposed amendment to the Marriage Act—to ban foreign and domestic same-sex unions from being recognised as marriages within Australia—was passed with the support of the ], although several ] MPs had expressed their opposition to the amendment, including the ] Dr. ]. The Greens and Democrats opposed the amendment. | |||
| ===The 2004 election campaign=== | |||
| On ] ], Howard called an election for ]. The Labor opposition, after the resignation of ] and the election of ] as leader in December ], had established a large lead in some opinion polls by March ], and the government entered the ] behind Labor in all the published national opinion polls. Howard himself still had a large lead over Latham as preferred Prime Minister in those same polls and most commentators regarded the result as being too close to call. | |||
| During the campaign, Howard strongly attacked Latham's economic record as ] of ], persuading the electorate that election of a Labor government could see a rise in interest rates. This was a significant threat, because total borrowing by home owners had risen when rates had dropped, meaning that even though rates were historically low, loan repayments as a proportion of household income were higher than at the peak of interest rates during the 1980s. | |||
| A notable aspect of the campaign was the absence of retaliatory "mudslinging" from the Labor Party against the various attacks on Latham's credibility, due to his rather notorious past, possibly to help promote the image of Latham as a reformed and professional man. Due to this approach they severely lost credibility in the campaign, which was compounded by Latham's publicity stunt of signing a guarantee stating that interest rates would not rise under a Latham government, when it was common knowledge at the time that monetary policy was controlled by the ]. | |||
| In the closing period of the election campaign, Howard promised a large spending program on health, education, small business and family payments with the aim of trumping Latham's policy strengths. Some economists criticised Howard for the scale of his election spending promises, saying the Thatcherite small government man of the 1980s and the 1996 budget had mutated into a pure political pragmatist, willing to spend big on "middle class welfare" to win votes, but failing to tackle long-term issues such as infrastructure constraints, climate change and a national skills shortage. | |||
| The election resulted in an increased Coalition majority in the House of Representatives and also a government majority in the Senate, the first government majority in that chamber since the ] election. The strength of the Australian economy under Howard's leadership may have helped him to retain the "battler" vote which, combined with his strong conservative base, gave the Coalition a comfortable election victory of 52.74% of the vote on a two party preferred basis against Labor's result of 47.26%.<ref name="aec-tpp_results">{{cite web | url=http://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseTppByState-12246.htm | title=Two party preferred vote results by state | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> Howard's social conservatism also helped him to win vital preferences from the socially conservative party ]. | |||
| ===Fourth term: 2004–present=== | |||
| ] ] on ] ], during Howard's seventh official visit to the ] as Prime Minister. From left to right: the Prime Minister's wife ], ] ], Howard, and Bush.]] | |||
| On ] ] Howard became Australia's second-longest serving Prime Minister, having led the government against three Labor opposition leaders, Beazley, Crean and Latham. | |||
| The Government response to the ] was widely acclaimed in Australia and abroad, including the Opposition ] foreign affairs spokesperson, ], who said that an ] government could not have done more. | |||
| On ] ] the new Senate came into effect, giving the Government control of both houses. This is the first Australian government since the days of the Fraser government that is able to pass any legislation it wishes, without having to first gain the approval of another party or hold a ] election. | |||
| Legislation which had previously been blocked and has now been passed includes: | |||
| *Full privatisation of the 51.8% government-owned telecommunications company Telstra; | |||
| *]; | |||
| *] which removed compulsory union fees at universities. | |||
| Overruled Legislation: | |||
| *ACT Civil Unions Act, on the grounds that the same-sex civil unions undermined the Marriage Act. | |||
| Other legislation which had previously been blocked in the Senate includes: | |||
| *Revising media ownership laws so as to remove restrictions on media companies having control over multiple different media. | |||
| In 2005, Howard announced fundamental and wide-ranging ] which have since been the subject of a national campaign by the union movement and state Labor governments. | |||
| Despite the coalition's majority in the Senate, a number of the proposed laws were in doubt, due to the opposition that has been voiced by Queensland National Party Senator ] who had threatened to vote against the sale of Telstra. Joyce raised concerns in relation to the industrial relations announcements but eventually supported the legislation. | |||
| On ] ] Howard announced that Australia would increase its military commitment to Iraq<ref name="abc-transcript-extra_military">{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2005/s1308325.htm | title=Australia boosts its military commitment to Iraq | publisher=] | author=Alexandra Kirk | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> with an additional 450 troops, when he had anticipated that no such increases would occur.<ref name="laws_interview-iraq_visit">{{cite web | url=http://www.pm.gov.au/news/interviews/Interview820.html | title=Transcript of the Prime Minister the Hon John Howard MP - Interview with John Laws on 2UE (Radio Station) | publisher=PM News Room | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> On ] another firm pre-election assurance was broken when it was announced that the ] safety net policy presented to the electorate prior to the election, and statements by the ] ] that the policy was "an absolutely rock solid, iron-clad commitment", would now be adjusted to provide fewer benefits. | |||
| In October 2005, the ] into the ] ] revealed that Australian company ] had paid the single largest illicit "kickback" to the Iraq regime. Howard, resisting calls for a ], subsequently established a Commission of Inquiry under Terence Cole ] to determine if Australian companies had broken the law.<ref name="ag-ehttp://en.wikipedia.org/Cabinet_of_Australianquiry">{{cite web | url=http://www.ag.gov.au/agd/www/UNOilForFoodInquiry.nsf | title=Inquiry into certain Australian companies in relation to the UN Oil-For-Food Programme | publisher=Attorney-General's Department | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> Howard rejected criticisms that the Inquiry Terms of Reference were too narrow (i.e. did not permit adequate investigation into the role played by Government Ministers and their delegates)<ref name="smh-cole_defense">{{cite web | url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/PM-slams-Labor-for-bagging-Cole-terms/2006/04/13/1144521445505.html | title=PM slams Labor for bagging Cole terms | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref>. | |||
| As of ] ], Howard has been in office 10 years. In this time his popularity has been seemingly undented. His approval rating, though showing slight ups and downs, remain steadily above 50%. Howard explains this through his frequently repeated quote, "My proof is in my record. This has seen Australia with low inflation, low interest rates, low unemployment, higher wages and a total elimination of government debt".<ref name="budget-govdebt">{{cite web | url=http://www.budget.gov.au/2006-07/overview/html/overview_06.htm | title=2005/2006 Budget Overview - Australian Government is now Debt Free | publisher=Australian Government, Commonwealth Budget | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-27}}</ref> As a testament to the Howard government's perceived economic credentials, Australian Treasurer Peter Costello was asked in June 2006 to be the special guest of the ] Finance Minister's Summit in ], ]—though Australia is not part of the G8—to advise these nations on good governance and public finance. | |||
| {{update}} | |||
| Throughout the first half of 2005, the Howard government faced increasing pressure regarding the controversial ] program. It was revealed in February that a mentally ill ] citizen and Australian resident, ], had been held in detention for nine months. The government then established the closed non-judicial ] promising that the findings would be made public. In May, it was revealed that another Australian, subsequently identified as ], had been deported from Australia and that the department responsible was unable to locate her. By late May, it was revealed that an additional 200 cases of possible wrongful detention had been referred to the Palmer Inquiry.<ref name="abc-palmer_inquiry">{{cite web | url=http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200505/s1376464.htm | title=Detention probe handed 200 cases | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> Also at this time Howard faced backbench revolt from small numbers of his own party demanding that reforms be made.<ref name="smh-revolt">{{cite web | url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Howard-explodes-at-MPs-revolt/2005/05/24/1116700714825.html | title=Howard explodes at MPs' revolt | publisher=] | author=Louise Dodson | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> On ] it was revealed that Cornelia Rau had been identified by the department as an Australian citizen three months prior to her final release from detention.<ref name="abc-rau">{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200506/s1383366.htm | title=Officials advised Rau might be Australian | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> On ] Australia's longest serving detainee, ], was moved to a psychiatric hospital.<ref name="abc-transcript-qasim">{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2005/s1388761.htm | title=Longest-serving detainee moved to psychiatric hospital | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> | |||
| In mid 2005, John Howard and his cabinet began private discussions of new anti-terror legislation which includes modification to the '']''. In particular, sections relating to ] are to be modified. On ] ], ] (Chief Minister of the ACT) took the controversial step of publishing the confidential draft of the Federal Anti-Terrorism Bill 2005 on his website.<ref name="press_release-draft_leaked">{{cite web | url=http://www.chiefminister.act.gov.au/media.asp?section=24&media=974&id=974&title= | title=Exposure draft of anti-terrorism laws | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref><ref name="draft_leaked">{{cite web | url=http://www.chiefminister.act.gov.au/docs/B05PG201_v281.pdf | title=Draft Anti-Terrorism Bill 2005 | format=PDF | publisher=] | author=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> This action was both praised and criticised. <ref name="howard_attack">{{cite web | url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/pm-on-attack-over-draft-bill-release/2005/10/15/1128796741077.html=| title=PM on attack over draft bill release | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-08-26}}</ref> <ref name="stanhope_under_fire">{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200510/s1483113.htm= | title=Stanhope under fire over bill leak | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-08-26}}</ref> Citing concerns about civil rights raised by the ] <ref name="human_rights_implications">{{cite web | url=http://www.chiefminister.act.gov.au/docs/Stanhope_advice_20051018.pdf=| title=Human rights implications of the ''Anti-Terrorism Bill'' 2005 | format=PDF | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-08-26}}</ref> as well as concerns over the speed of the legislation's passage through parliament <ref name="stanhope_flags_haste">{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200510/s1483482.htm=| title=Stanhope flags doubts on 'hasty' terrorism bill| publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-08-26}}</ref> , he later refused to sign off on a revised version of the legislation, becoming the only State and Territorial leader not to sign. The House of Representatives passed the anti-terrorism legislation which was debated in the Senate before its final implementation in December 2005. | |||
| On ] ] Howard held a press conference to announce that he had received information from police and the ] (ASIO) that indicated an imminent terrorist attack in Australia. Within a week, on ], anti-terrorist raids were held across ] and ], with 17 suspected terrorists arrested, including ]. These raids, according to Howard, demonstrated the need for his Anti-Terrorism Bill. According to the Greens and Democrats, the raids demonstrated that no further legislation was needed as even the current legislation was sufficient to allow ASIO and the ] to act in some cases. Critics have also said that the press conference was held on the same day as the ] were introduced to Parliament, even though much of the intelligence was not new, suggesting it was an attempt to divert attention away from the IR law changes. | |||
| On Tuesday ] protest rallies were held to protest against the work relations laws around the country, in opposition to the Howard government’s planned changes to industrial relations laws. Approximately 560,000 people turned out at the protests, largely organised by various unions and concerned community organisations with the help of Labor and the Greens. These laws were passed without substantial change. | |||
| ===Unfinished business=== | |||
| In late 2006, with a federal election on the horizon, some of the issues facing the Howard government are the ] scandal, Australia's response to ], a national skills shortage and his govenment's ] ] legislation. | |||
| === Retirement? === | |||
| In the leadup to the 2001 election, Howard did not commit to serving a full term if he won the election. Instead, he said he would consider the question of retirement when he turned 64, which would be in July 2003. When July 2003 came, he announced that the party was strongly in favour of him continuing, so he stayed on. | |||
| In the leadup to the 2004 election, Howard again did not commit to serving a full term. In 2006, there was mounting speculation that he would retire that year. | |||
| In July 2006, as part of a redistribution of New South Wales electoral divisions, a proposal was made to change the boundaries of Howard's electorate of Bennelong on Sydney's ]. It has been suggested that these changes may make Bennelong one of the most marginal seats in the state with only a 3% majority <ref name="theoz-bennelong">{{cite web | url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19665531-1702,00.html | title=PM seat 'more marginal' in shake-up | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-15}}</ref>, however these figures have been disputed by political commentators such as ] <ref name="crikey-bennelong">{{cite web | url=http://www.crikey.com.au/articles/2006/07/04-0925-932.html | title=The Qld and NSW seat shuffle | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-15}}</ref>, and also ] of the NSW Labor Party <ref name="mumbleEasson-bennelong">{{cite web | url=http://www.mumble.com.au/misc/easson_bennelong.doc | title=Elections: voting with Mumble | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-15}}</ref>, who argue that the impact of the changes will be minimal. | |||
| In July 2006, it was alleged that a deal had been struck with Peter Costello in 1994 with ] present, that if the Liberal party were to win the next election, Howard would serve one and a half terms of office and then allow Costello to take over. Mr. McLachlan's version of the conversation is that Mr Howard said something like, "I can't guarantee this to you Peter, but my intention is not to hang around forever. If I win, I'll serve two terms and hand over to you." <ref name="howard-costello-intention">{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2006/s1682459.htm|title=Howard asked about leadership deal|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=] ]|accessdate=] ]}}</ref> Howard denied that this constituted a deal, yet Costello and McLachlan insisted it did;<ref name="news-costello_backers">{{cite web | url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,19736460-2,00.html | title=Costello backers savage Howard | publisher=] | author=Steve Lewis | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-10}}</ref><ref name="news-pm_deny">{{cite web | url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,19734797-2,00.html | title=No, Prime Minister, you cannot deny it | publisher=] | author=Glenn Milne | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-10}}</ref><ref name="howard_promised_handover">{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200607/s1682824.htm | title=Howard promised me a handover: Costello / Howard rejects Costello's deal claim | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-10}}</ref> and there were calls for Costello to either challenge or quit.<ref name="labor_sees_end">{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200607/s1683090.htm | title=Labor sees end to Howard-Costello duet | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-10}}</ref><ref name="costello_quit_or_challenge">{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200607/s1683201.htm | title=Call for Costello to quit or challenge | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-11}}</ref> | |||
| The impasse was resolved at the end of July when Howard, again citing strong party room support for him as leader, stated that he would remain to contest the 2007/2008 election, and that he and Costello would remain in their current roles.<ref name="howards_decision_welcomed">{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200607/s1701315.htm | title= | |||
| PM's decision to face electorate welcomed | publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-31}}</ref> Costello declared that he would not be seeking the top position in the Liberal Party while Howard was standing as its leader, saying on '']'' he would be handing down the 2007 Budget. <ref name="challenge_ruled_out">{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2005/s1526226.htm=| title=Costello rules out leadership challenge| publisher=] | date=] | accessdate=2006-08-26}}</ref> | |||
| ==Honours== | |||
| *] In January 2001 | |||
| *The ] together with ] as Prime Minister of ] on 15th of June 2005 for their respective roles in restoring law and order in the Solomon Islands.<ref name="solomon_award">{{cite web | url=http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=23419 | title=PM awarded the Star of the Solomon Islands | publisher=Beehive | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref> | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| {{sisterlinks|John Howard}} | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| <div class="references-small"> | |||
| ;'''Publications''' | |||
| *{{cite book | last = Barnett | first = David | authorlink = David Barnett (Australian journalist) | coauthors = ] | year = 1997 | title = John Howard, Prime Minister | publisher = Viking | id = ISBN 0-670-87389-6}} | |||
| *{{cite book | last = Cater | first = Nick | authorlink = Nick Cater | year = 2006 | title = The Howard Factor | publisher = Melbourne University Publishing | id = ISBN 0-522-85284-X}} | |||
| *{{cite book | last = Kevin | first = Tony | authorlink = Tony Kevin | year = 2004 | title = A Certain Maritime Incident the sinking of SIEV X | publisher = Scribe Publications | id = ISBN 1-920769-21-8}} | |||
| *{{cite book | last = Kingston | first = Margo | authorlink = Margo Kingston | year = 2004 | month=June | title = Not Happy, John! defending Australia's democracy | publisher = Penguin | id = ISBN 0-14-300258-9}} | |||
| *{{cite book | last = Maddox | first = Marion | authorlink = Marion Maddox | year = 2005 | month=February | title = God Under Howard: The rise of the religious right in Australian politics | publisher = Allen & Unwin | location = St Leonards | id = ISBN 1-74114-568-6}} | |||
| *{{cite book | last = Marr | first = David | authorlink = David Marr (journalist) | coauthors = ] | year = 2005 | month=August | title = Dark Victory | publisher = Allen & Unwin | location = St Leonards | id = ISBN 1-74114-447-7}} | |||
| *{{cite book | last = Wilkie | first = Andrew | authorlink = Andrew Wilkie | year = 2004 | month=October | title = Axis of deceit (Black Inc. Agenda) | publisher = Schwarz Publishing | location = Melbourne | id = ISBN 0-9750769-2-2}} | |||
| ;'''Websites''' | |||
| * {{cite web | url=http://parlinfoweb.aph.gov.au/piweb/view_document.aspx?ID=2199337&TABLE=HANSARDR | title=Howard's speech to parliament in which he puts forward his claims of threat from Iraq as reasons for Australian support of the subsequent invasion of Iraq in 2003 | publisher=Hansard of the Parliament of Australia | date=] | accessdate=2006-07-08}} | |||
| ;'''Notes''' | |||
| <!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags--> | |||
| <references /> | |||
| </div> | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * Prime Minister's official website | |||
| * National Archives of Australia | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * australianpolitics.com | |||
| * , the first Australian Prime Minister to do so since ] in 1944. | |||
| * | |||
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Revision as of 11:54, 4 December 2006
Rodent