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For other persons of the same name, see John Howard (disambiguation).
| The Honourable John Winston Howard LLB | |
| |
| 25th Prime Minister of Australia
| |
|---|---|
| In office 11 March 1996 – 3 December 2007 | |
| Deputy | Tim Fischer John Anderson Mark Vaile |
| Preceded by | Paul Keating |
| Succeeded by | Kevin Rudd |
| | |
| In office 19 November 1977 – 11 March 1983 | |
| Preceded by | Phillip Lynch |
| Succeeded by | Paul Keating |
Member of the Australian Parliament | |
| In office 18 May 1974 – 24 November 2007 | |
| Preceded by | John Cramer |
| Succeeded by | Maxine McKew |
| Born | 26 July 1939 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Political party | LPA |
| Spouse | Janette Howard |
| Alma mater | University of Sydney |
| Profession | Solicitor |
John Winston Howard (born 26 July, 1939) was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia from 11 March, 1996 to 3 December, 2007. He is the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies, and was leader of the Liberal Party of Australia for over 16 years.
Howard was a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1974 to 2007, representing the Division of Bennelong, New South Wales. He served as Treasurer in the government of Malcolm Fraser from 1977–1983. He was Leader of the Liberal Party and Coalition Opposition from 1985–1989, which included the 1987 federal election against Bob Hawke. He was re-elected as Leader of the Opposition in 1995.
Howard led the Liberal-National Coalition to victory at the 1996 federal election, defeating Paul Keating\'s Labor government and ending a record 13 years of Coalition opposition. Howard was sworn in as Prime Minister on 11 March 1996. Howard\'s government was re-elected at the 1998, 2001 and 2004 elections but was defeated at the 2007 election by the Labor opposition led by Kevin Rudd. Howard was also defeated in his electorate of Bennelong by Labor\'s Maxine McKew, making him the second Australian Prime Minister, after Stanley Bruce in 1929, to lose his own seat.
John Howard is the fourth son of Lyall Howard and Mona (née Kell). His parents were married in 1925. His eldest brother Stanley was born in 1926, followed by Walter in 1929, and Robert (Bob) in 1936.
Howard grew up in the Sydney suburb of Earlwood. His mother had been an office worker until her marriage. His father and his paternal grandfather, Walter Howard, were both veterans of the First AIF in World War I. They also ran two Dulwich Hill petrol stations where John Howard worked as a boy.Tin soldered for the King in Howard\'s home. The Sydney Morning Herald (2006-06-19). Retrieved on 2007-08-29. Lyall Howard died in 1955 when John was sixteen, leaving his mother to take care of JohnBirnbauer, Bill, "Rise Of A Common Man", The Age, 4 March 1996 (or "Jack" as he was also known).Canterbury tales. Sydney Morning Herald (2004-09-18). Retrieved on 2007-09-13.
Howard suffered a hearing impairment in his youth, leaving him with a slight speech impediment.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. PM News Room (2000-02-16). Retrieved on 2006-07-08. It also influenced him in subtle ways, limiting his early academic performance; encouraging a reliance on an excellent memory; and in his mind ruling out becoming a barrister as a likely career.Errington, Wayne; Van Onselen, Peter (2007). John Winston Howard: The Biography. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, pp 21, 35
Howard attended the publicly funded state schools Earlwood Primary School and Canterbury Boys\' High School."Canterbury tales", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2004-09-18. Retrieved on 2007-09-05. Howard won a citizenship prize in his final year at Earlwood (presented by local politician Eric Willis), and subsequently represented his secondary school at debating as well as cricket and rugby.Beazley and Howard- Politics and Sport. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (26 October 2001). Retrieved on 2007-03-13. In his final year at school he took part in a radio show hosted by Jack Davey, Give It a Go broadcast on the commercial radio station, 2GB, and a recording of the show survives.Sixteen-year-old John Howard on a popular radio quiz show compered by Jack Davey RAM. australianpolitics.com (2002-06-09). Retrieved on 2006-07-08. After gaining his Leaving Certificate, he studied law at the University of Sydney, graduating in 1961, and subsequently practising as a solicitor for twelve years.
Howard married fellow Liberal Party member Janette Parker in 1971, with whom he had three children: Melanie (1974), Tim (1977) and Richard (1980). Australia\'s Prime Ministers : John Howard. National Archives of Australia. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
Howard joined the Liberal Party in 1957. He held office in the New South Wales Liberal Party on the State Executive and served as President of the Young Liberals (1962–64), the party youth organisation.Young Liberals Life Members & Past Presidents. Young Liberals (2006). Retrieved on 2006-07-08. Howard supported Australia\'s involvement in the Vietnam War, although has since said there were "aspects of it that could have been handled and explained differently"."John Howard Interview - 1996", Four Corners, 1996-02-19. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
At the 1963 federal election, Howard acted as campaign manager in his local seat of Parkes for the successful candidacy of Tom Hughes who defeated the 20 year Labor incumbent.
In 1967 with the support of party power brokers, John Carrick and Eric Willis, he was endorsed as candidate for the marginal suburban state seat of Drummoyne, held by the ALP. Howard\'s mother sold the family home in Earlwood and rented a house with him at Five Dock, a suburb within the electorate. At the election in February 1968, in which the incumbent state Liberal government was returned to office, Howard failed to defeat the sitting member, despite campaigning vigorously.Drummoyne - 1968. Parliament of NSW (25 July 2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-25. Howard and his mother subsequently returned to Earlwood, moving to a house on the same street where he grew up.
At the 1974 federal election, Howard successfully contested the Sydney suburban seat of Bennelong and became a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives. When Malcolm Fraser\'s government came to power in December 1975, Howard was appointed Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs, a position in which he served until 1977.
In December 1977, at the age of 38, Howard was appointed Treasurer, for which he became known as "the boy Treasurer". In this role, he was a strong adherent of monetarism and favoured cuts to personal income tax and business tax, lower government spending, the dismantling of the centralised wage-fixing system, the abolition of compulsory trade unionism, and the privatisation of government-owned enterprises.
In 1979, Treasurer Howard established a committee of inquiry, the Campbell Committee, to investigate financial system reforms. The process of reform began before the Committee reported 2 1/2 years later, with the introduction of the tender system for the sale of Treasury notes in 1979, and Treasury bonds in 1982. Ian Macfarlane (Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia 1996-2006) described these reforms as "second only in importance to the float of the Australian dollar in 1983." [1]
In April 1982, Howard was elected Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party.
During Howard\'s tenure as Treasurer, the 90-day cash rate peaked at 21% on 8 April 1982, while home loan mortage rates were capped at 13.5%, and inflation peaked at 12.5% in September 1982.F01 Interest rates and yields – money market (Excel file). Reserve Bank of Australia. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. Peter Costello commented, in 2007, that "The Howard treasurership was not a success in terms of interest rates and inflation... he had not been a great reformer."Howard failed as treasurer, says Costello. The Sydney Morning Herald (19 July 2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
Following the 1983 defeat of the Fraser government and Fraser\'s subsequent resignation from parliament, Howard contested the Liberal leadership but was defeated by Andrew Peacock. Remaining Deputy Leader of the parliamentary party, Howard became Deputy Leader of the Opposition. After electoral defeat by Hawke and Labor at the 1984 election, Peacock sought, in September 1985, to replace Howard with John Moore as Deputy Leader. The party room re-elected Howard to the position. Peacock resigned and Howard became Opposition Leader unopposed on 3 September.Howard\'s labours are slipping away, Alan Ramsay, Sydney Morning Herald, March 6 2004
Howard came to be known as an economic liberal - in his own words, an "economic radical" - yet an avowed social conservative. Markus, Andrew (2001). Race: John Howard and the Remaking of Australia. Allen & Unwin, 85-89. ISBN 1864488662. He opposed "political correctness" and the promotion of multiculturalism at the expense of a shared national identity. In July 1986, Howard famously said that "The times will suit me".Anne Summers. "The sad times do suit him; he made them", Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax, 2003-08-18. However, his chances of unseating Hawke at the 1987 election were ruined when the arch-conservative Premier of Queensland Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen launched a populist "Joh for Canberra" campaign that divided the federal conservative political movement and saw Hawke comfortably re-elected.
On 22 August 1988, from Opposition, Howard named and launched a new immigration and ethnic affairs policy, titled One Australia. The policy detailed a vision of "one nation and one future", including opposition to multiculturalism and rejection of Aboriginal land rights.Markus, Andrew (2001). Race: John Howard and the Remaking of Australia. Allen & Unwin, 85-89. ISBN 1864488662. Howard\'s comments that same month about Asian immigration led to controversy and divisions within the Liberal Party:
Insert the text of the quote here, without quotation marks.
Other members of Howard\'s coalition, including Shadow Finance Minister John Stone and Deputy Opposition Leader Ian Sinclair also spoke out about Asian immigration, suggesting it must be reduced. Peter, Mares (2002). Borderline: Australia\'s Response to Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the Wake of the Tampa. UNSW Press, 113. ISBN 0868407895.
On 25 August 1988, Prime Minister Bob Hawke responded by introducing a parliamentary motion stating that no Australian government would use race or ethnic origin as a criterion for immigration. Four members of the Liberal Party crossed the floor of parliament to vote with Labor: Hon Dr Peter Baume (Senator), Steele Hall, Ian Macphee and Philip Ruddock. Two others, Ian Wilson and Michael MacKellar abstained from the vote.Kelly, Paul [1994]. The End of Certainty: Power, Politics, and Business in Australia (HTML), Allen & Unwin, 427,457,467. ISBN 186373757X. Retrieved on 2007-10-05.
In September 1988, Howard elaborated his opposition to multiculturalism by saying "To me, multiculturalism suggests that we can\'t make up our minds who we are or what we believe in." He rejected the idea of an Aboriginal treaty as "repugnant to the ideals of One Australia" and commented "I don\'t think it is wrong, racist, immoral or anything, for a country to say \'we will decide what the cultural identity and the cultural destiny of this country will be and nobody else\'"."When talk of racism is just not cricket", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2005-12-16. Retrieved on 2007-08-19. }}
Dissent within the Liberal Party over Asian immigration was believed by some political commentators to have weakened Howard\'s leadership. In February 1989, John Elliott approached Andrew Peacock and encouraged Peacock to launch a leadership challenge against Howard. In May 1989, Andrew Peacock launched a surprise leadership coup, ousting Howard as Liberal leader.
After a brief stint on the backbench, Howard returned to the Coalition front bench, but his leadership career seemed to be over, particularly when Peacock lost the 1990 election and the Liberals turned to a new younger leader, former Howard staffer Dr. John Hewson. Asked whether he would try again to attain the Liberal leadership, Howard likened the possibility of his political comeback to "Lazarus with a triple bypass".Howard reaches political milestone. ABC (18 May 2004). Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
Howard was an enthusiastic supporter of Hewson\'s economic program, with a Goods and Services Tax (GST) as its centrepiece. After Hewson lost the "unloseable" 1993 election to Paul Keating, Howard unsuccessfully challenged Hewson for the leadership. In 1994, he was again passed over for the leadership, which went to Alexander Downer. Downer failed to dent Keating\'s dominance and, in January 1995, he resigned as leader. Peter Costello, deputy party leader, did not challenge for the leadership, over a decade later citing an agreement between the pair that allowed Howard to become leader for a second time unopposed. Howard said no deal had ever been made. "Power marriage on the rocks", Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax Media, July 11, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
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Soon after Howard became Opposition Leader, the Coalition surged to a large lead over Labor in nearly all polls. More ominously for Labor, Howard quickly overtook Keating as preferred Prime Minister--a rare feat for an Opposition Leader.
When asked whether he would follow the failed John Hewson tax model and introduce a Goods and Services Tax (GST), Howard replied:
There\'s no way that GST will ever be part of our policy.... Never ever. It\'s dead. It was killed by the voters in the last election.A look back at Howard\'s ten years, The World Today, 2 March 2006
In a "small target" strategy, he attacked the "arrogance" and the "elitist" nature of Keating\'s "big picture" politics—issues like foreign relations with Asia, Australian republicanism, multiculturalism and reconciliation with indigenous Australians—which, Howard believed, were irrelevant to ordinary voters. He also promised workers would be no worse off under industrial relations changes.No guarantee from Howard workers won\'t be worse off, The World Today, 7 July 2005
Winning over many traditional Labor voters, a group termed the "Howard battlers", Howard won a sweeping victory at the 1996 elections, with a 26-seat swing--the second-largest defeat of an incumbent government since Federation. At the age of 56, he was sworn in as Prime Minister on 11 March 1996, ending a record 13 years of Coalition opposition."Education: John Howard", National Museum of Australia, 1 August 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
In the run-up to the election, Pauline Hanson, the Liberal candidate for Oxley in Queensland was disendorsed because of comments she made to The Queensland Times. Howard said:
Insert the text of the quote here, without quotation marks.
John Howard in the USA in 1997
Heralded by the prompt announcement that a $10-billion "budget black hole" left by the previous Labor government would necessitate considerable reduction in many areas of government expenditure, prudent economic management became a major emphasis of Howard\'s government."Budget \'black hole\' electioneering", PM, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2004-01-27. Training and education programs developed under the Keating government were scrapped, infrastructure investment was scaled down, funding for indigenous bodies was reduced, and a "work for the dole" system was introduced that required able-bodied social security recipients to seek work. Thus began a trend of budget surpluses which would be maintained most years (excepting the 2001-2002 financial year where a cash deficit of $1.3 Billion was recorded).Minister for Finance and Administration (30 September 2002). "2001-02 Final Budget Outcome". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.; United States, Central Intelligence Agency, Assessment of Australian Economic History. CIA World Factbook (2006-10-17). Retrieved on 2006-11-01.
Following the Port Arthur massacre in April 1996, Howard coordinated action by the state governments to restrict the private ownership of semi-automatic rifles, semi-automatic shotguns and pump-action shotguns and raised the prospect of a referendum on gun control. May 10 that year he structured a "National Firearms Agreement" covering related matters such as uniform firearms licensing, although this was never fully implemented.
The Howard government did not have a majority in the Senate at this time, and instead faced a situation where legislation had to be negotiated with either the Australian Democrats or with the Independents. The Senate modified much of the Government\'s more controversial legislation, including the partial privatisation of the government-owned telecommunications company, Telstra; the modification of industrial relations laws to promulgate individual contracts; increases in university fees; large funding cuts in the 1996 and 1997 budgets; a 30% private health insurance rebate; and the Wik 10 Point Plan, giving extinguishment of native title on pastoral leases.
Howard had come to office promising to improve standards of integrity among ministers and politicians, introducing a strict "Code of Ministerial Conduct""A Guide on Key Elements of Ministerial Responsibility", Dept of the Prime Minister & Cabinet at the start of his term. The strictness of his code was enforced when a succession of seven of his ministers (Jim Short, Geoff Prosser, John Sharp, David Jull, Brian Gibson, Bob Woods, and Peter McGauran) 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 reportedly had improper business dealings and another two ministers (John Moore and Warwick Parer) were found to have breached the code.
The 1998 election campaign was dominated by two issues. One was reform of the tax system, including the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST; a broad-based value-added tax).GST related information. Queensland Government (6 October 2006). Retrieved on 2007-03-04]. At the October 1998 election, the Liberal-National Coalition, suffered a large swing largely driven by an opposition campaign against the Goods and Services Tax. Labor leader Kim Beazley won 51% of the national two-party preferred vote, but the Liberals ran an effective marginal electorate campaign and were returned with a comfortable majority in parliament. During the campaign, Howard changed the Coalition\'s preferencing policy. The coalition had been criticised for placing One Nation ahead of Labor on its how-to-vote cards at the Queensland election earlier in the year. Critics charged that this meant Howard was tacitly approving One Nation\'s policies towards Aborigines and immigration, which they viewed as xenophobic. From the federal election onwards, One Nation was placed last on Coalition voting cards.
Foreign affairs were significant in Howard\'s second term when the people of East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia in a United Nations sponsored referendum. Pro-Indonesia militia, covertly backed by elements of the Indonesian military, began a brutal campaign of repression. Australia led a peacekeeping/policing force to protect the inhabitants against pro-Indonesian militias, attracting praise domestically and in several countries, but angering some Indonesians and Islamists. A side effect of these actions was that Osama Bin Laden later called Australia a "crusader force", and that the Bali bombings were retribution for leading the action.Williams, Daryl (26 February 2003). Address to \'International Studies\' & \'Australian Foreign Policy\' students. Attorney-General\'s Department. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.; Parkinson, Tony. "\'Bin Laden\' voices new threat to Australia", The Age, November 14 2002. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. ; "Former CIA worker analyses bin Laden threat", Lateline, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2 August 2005. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. ; Johnston, Tim. "East Timor Tightens Security After Terror Warning", IWS, 11 May 2005. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
As recommended in the 1997 Bringing Them Home report, John Howard\'s government also considered the issue of a national apology to Indigenous Australians, in recognition of the treatment by previous governments following the European settlement of the country. In the face of a growing movement in favour of a national apology, Howard was resolute in his refusal to do this, although all state and territory governments issued their own. Instead, on 26 August 1999 John Howard 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."Opening Speech of Australian Reconciliation Convention. Australasian Legal Information Institute (26 May 2000). Retrieved on 2006-08-23. In February 2008, in the opening week of the new parliament that followed his election loss, Howard declined an invitation to the parliamentary apology to the Stolen Generations, being the only living former Prime Minister to do so.timesonline.co.uk; Sydney Morning Herald; Reuters; The Age; news.com.au; The Australian
Howard\'s second term saw the implementation of the Goods & Services Tax (GST), replacing a range of taxes on specific goods with a flat rate on almost all goods and services. In accordance with an Intergovernmental Agreement, the Australian Government would administer the GST on behalf of the states and territories, to whom all GST revenue is paid. This was intended to give the states and territories responsibility for their own finances and end annual funding squabbles between them and the federal government. The federal government determines the share of GST revenue received by each using a formula recommended by the Commonwealth Grants Commission.
Howard was able to pass the GST legislation through the Senate after making a deal with Australian Democrats\' leader Senator Meg Lees to exclude a number of items from the GST, most notably fresh food such as fruit and vegetables. As a partial offset for the GST, a $7,000 "first home buyers grant" was introduced in 2000.First Home Owner Grant - General Information. Australian Government (15 February 2002). Retrieved on 2006-07-08.
Enforcement of the Code of Ministerial Conduct, introduced during the prior term, was less stringent this term and hereafter, with Howard said to take a "rather more relaxed attitude to ... apparent breaches or misdemeanours and ... far fewer sackings".Tuckey row mars code of conduct, The 7.30 Report, ABC TV, 20 August 2003
The Howard government was trailing in the polls in 2001. It lost a by-election in the normally safe electorate of Ryan in Queensland and Labor governments were elected in all the states and territories except South Australia (which fell to Labor in 2002). In response, a number of policy changes were made, including the abandonment of petrol excise indexation and increased government benefits to self-funded retirees.
In August 2001, the government refused permission for the Norwegian freighter MV Tampa, carrying a group of asylum seekers picked up in international waters, to enter Australian waters.Statement by Australian Ambassador, UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY 56th SESSION, 27 November, 2001 When the Tampa entered Australian waters, Howard ordered the ship be boarded by Australian special forces. This brought censure from the government of Norway for Australia\'s failure to meet obligations to distressed mariners under international law at the United Nations.United Nations General Assembly - Fifty-sixth session (PDF). United Nations (2001-11-27). Retrieved on 2006-07-08.
The government introduced "border protection" legislation. Kim Beazley and the Labor opposition offered half-hearted support to the legislation while opposing it on specific points. The issue, along with the shock of the recent September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, saw the Howard government portray itself as "tough" on border protection and national security. The Howard government subsequently received a big lift in the polls"Tampa issue improves Coalition election prospects", \'The 7:30 Report\', Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 4 September 2001. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. and many commentators cite the MV Tampa as the decisive issue in the 2001 election. "Latest poll \'a nonsense\': former Labor pollster", PM, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1 Jun 2004. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. ; "Antony Green\'s Election Summary", Australia votes, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. ; Carney, Shaun. "The challenge for Australia", The Age, 11 September 2004. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
For the 2001 election campaign, Howard used the slogan:
Earlier that month, comments by Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock about a recent maritime incident involving a boatload of asylum seekers had sparked the Children Overboard Affair. Ruddock said that children had been thrown into the sea. Howard and Defence Minister Peter Reith repeated and defended the claim. After the election, naval and intelligence sources refuted the claim while two senate inquiries found the claim to be untrue and that the government knew this prior to the election.
At the November 2001 elections, the Coalition was re-elected with a larger majority than in 1998 and achieved the biggest swing to an incumbent government since 1966.
In the two years after the 2001 election the Howard government continued its tough line on national security and "border protection" issues, while seeking to further its agenda of conservative social policies and pro-business economic reforms. Despite its victory in 2001, the government did not have a Senate majority, and its ability to pass planned legislation was restricted.
Howard faced a difficult issue in the allegations that his choice as Governor General, Dr. Peter Hollingworth, in his previous vocation as Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, had not investigated Anglican priests who were accused of paedophilia in various churches. Hollingworth resigned the governor-generalship amidst controversy that threatened to damage the credibility of his office.
The seat of Bennelong became home to many Asian immigrants, and in May 2002, Howard retracted his 1988 comments about Asian immigration:
Insert the text of the quote here, without quotation marks.
In April 2002 changes where made to Australian nationality law. These change meant that an Australian citizen who acquires another citizenship from this date forward will no longer lose their Australian Citizenship.
Howard retained a clear political advantage over his opponents. Throughout 2002 and 2003 he kept his lead in the opinion polls over the then Labor leader, Simon Crean. Following the October 2002 Bali bombing, Howard placed a renewed emphasis on his government\'s approach to national security.
In March 2003, Howard joined 40 countries including the United Kingdom and the United States, in sending troops and naval units to support in the invasion of Iraq and the removal of Saddam Hussein from power. He told parliament:
Insert the text of the quote here, without quotation marks.
Australian opinion was deeply divided on the war and large public protests against the war occurred.Protests across Australia against war. The Sydney Morning Herald (2003-04-14). Retrieved on 2006-07-08. Several senior figures from the Liberal party, including John Valder, a former president of the Liberal Party, and Howard\'s former friend and colleague, former Opposition Leader John Hewson and former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser publicly criticised Howard over Iraq.Laurie Oakes (2004-08-15). Interview with John Howard on Sunday (TV series). NineMSN. Retrieved on 2006-07-08.; John Hewson Criticises Howard Iraq Policy. australianpolitics.com (2003-03-11). Retrieved on 2007-05-28.; Andrew Webster (2003-08-24). Liberal blast from one PM to another. The Age. Retrieved on 2006-07-08. John Valder\'s criticism was particularly strong, claiming that Howard should be tried and punished as a war criminal.Howard is war criminal, says former colleague. The Sydney Morning Herald (2004-07-19). Retrieved on 2006-07-08.
On Anzac Day 2004, 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 Mark Latham\'s promise to return Australian troops by Christmas. Howard portrayed Latham as a threat to the U.S.-Australia alliance.
On 6 May2004, Howard convened a meeting with a group of energy industry representatives called the Lower Emissions Technology Advisory Group (LETAG). Although it met with the renewable energy sector separately, the Government was later criticised for not inviting them to this meeting. According to leaked minutes from the meeting, Howard would conclude that technology would be the long-term solution to greenhouse issues and his focus should be on ways to accelerate introduction of technology for reducing greenhouse gases, but that he was not looking for the establishment of public policy. Concerns about the cost and effectiveness of the current Mandatory Renewable Energy Targets (MRET) were also raised.Minutes of a meeting of the Low Emissions Technology Advisory Group (LETAG) with the Australian Government (2004-05-06). Retrieved on 2007-01-21.; Andrew Fowler (2004-09-07). Leaked documents reveal fossil fuel influence in White Paper. Retrieved on 2007-01-24.
In May 2004, and with the help of the Australian Democrats,Australian Democrats Action Plan the Howard Government amended Australia\'s superannuation law to allow same-sex couples to inherit their partners\' private sector superannuation.Gay activists remind parties of promises. The Age (2007-11-09). Retrieved on 2007-11-09. Announcing the May 2004 proposal, Howard said:
The changes did not extend to members in Commonwealth superannuation schemes.Marr, David. "One law changes, 57 stay? No thanks", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2007-11-09. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
On 13 August 2004, the Senate passed the Howard Government\'sparlinfoweb.aph.gov.au Marriage Legislation Amendment Bill"Gay marriage ban passes parliament", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2004-08-13. Retrieved on 2007-11-08. which incorporated the common law definition of marriage—"the union of a man and a woman to exclusion of all others"—into the Marriage Act and the Family Law Act.PARLINFO WEB; PARLINFO WEB The amendment, was opposed by the The Greens and Democrats.Erin O\'Dwyer (2006-01-01). Push to legalise gay marriage. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved on 2006-07-08.
On 29 August 2004, Howard called an election for 9 October. The Labor opposition, after the resignation of Simon Crean and the election of Mark Latham as leader in December 2003, had established a large lead in some opinion polls by March 2004, and the government entered the election campaign behind Labor in all 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 attacked Latham\'s economic record as Mayor of Liverpool City Council. Howard also attacked Labor\'s economic history.
Insert the text of the quote here, without quotation marks.
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 Labor\'s policy strengths.
The election result was an increased Coalition majority in the House of Representatives and the first, albeit slim, government majority in the Senate since 1981. On a two party preferred basis, the Coalition achieved 52.74% of the vote to Labor\'s 47.26%. However, for the second time since becoming Prime Minister, Howard himself had to go to preferences in order to win another term in his own seat. He took 49.9 percent of the first count and was only assured of reelection on the third count. Ultimately, Howard won 53.3 percent of the two-party preferred vote.http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/2004/2004repsnsw.txt
John Howard, Janette Howard, and U.S. President George W. Bush at the Sydney Opera House
On 21 December 2004, Howard became the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies."PM still favourite as he celebrates milestone", ABC News, 21 December 2004. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
The new Senate came into effect on 1 July 2005, giving the Howard government control of both houses for the first time. Not since Fraser had a government been able to pass legislation without approval from other parties. However, due to the slenderness of its Senate majority, internal Coalition discipline and dissent significantly influenced legislative outcomes on certain issues.
The Howard government revisited and secured the passage of previously blocked legislation, including industrial relations changes, the abolition of compulsory university student union fees and liberalisation of media ownership laws (by lowering restrictions on media companies owning multiple different media). It also instructed the Governor-General to disallow a legislation, the ACT Civil Unions Act.Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia (2006-06-13). MATTERS PERTAINING TO THE CIVIL UNIONS ACT 2006 (ACT).; "Commonwealth quashes ACT in battle over civil union laws", The Age, Fairfax, 2006-06-14.
Howard chaired APEC Australia 2007, culminating in the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Sydney during September. APEC 2007 Taskforce. Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (30 June 2006). Retrieved on 2007-09-13. The meeting was at times overshadowed by leadership speculation following further poor poll results "Leadership talk dogs PM", ABC, 7 September 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-11. and public criticism of security arrangements. "APEC security \'has harmed Sydney image\'", The Age, 7 September 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.
The Coalition trailed Labor in opinion polls from mid-2006 onward, but Howard still consistently led Labor leader Kim Beazley on the question of preferred Prime Minister. In December 2006, after Kevin Rudd became Labor leader, the two-party preferred deficit widened even further and Rudd swiftly overtook Howard as preferred Prime Minister.
In April 2006, the government announced it had completely paid off the last of $96 billion of Commonwealth net debt inherited when it came to power in 1996.Costello, Peter (2006-04-20). Speech to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia : “DEBT-FREE DAY”. Economists generally welcomed the news, while cautioning that some level of debt was not necessarily bad, and that some of the debt had been transferred to the private sector.ABC PM (2006-04-20). Costello announces \'debt free day\'.[verification needed] Howard often cited the economic management of his government as a point in its favour, but came under heavy criticism toward the end of 2007 in the lead up to the Federal election. It was alleged by opposition leader Kevin Rudd during their single leadership debate that Howard had no plan to deal with inflationary pressures on the economy, and would not be able to handle future interest rate rises.
In 2005, Howard announced significant changes to industrial relations laws. These became the subject of a national publicity campaign by the government and pronounced opposition from community groups, the union movement and state Labor governments. On 15 November 2005, public rallies were held to protest against the industrial relations changes. An estimated 100,000-175,000 people attended rallies in Melbourne and around 300 other meetings and rallies, held concurrently around the country, were also well attended.Barnes, Renee. "Protesters engulf Melbourne CBD", The Age, 4 September 2001. Retrieved on 2007-08-29. ; Barnes, Renee. "Protesters turn out for IR rally", The Age, 15 November 2001. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
