149-584: Prime Minister of Australia Term of government (1996–2007) Ministries Elections John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parliament (MP) for the New South Wales division of Bennelong from 1974 to 2007. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister
298-464: A Goods and Services Tax as its centrepiece. As opposition leader, Howard delivered a series of "headland speeches", which dealt broadly with the philosophy of government. In contrast to Keating, he used these addresses to speak in favour of traditional Australian institutions and symbols like the Australian flag and ANZAC legacy . By the time of the 1996 Election, unemployment was high, but at
447-442: A barrister as a likely career. Howard attended Earlwood Primary School and Canterbury Boys' High School . He 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 union . Cricket remained a lifelong hobby. In his final year at school he took part in a radio show hosted by Jack Davey , Give It
596-507: A "small-target" strategy. He focused on the economy and memory of the early 1990s recession, and on the longevity of the Labor government, which in 1996 had been in power for 13 years. In May 1995, Howard promised that a GST would "never ever" be part of the Liberal Party's policy. Howard, when making the promise, referred to the GST as being a losing policy for Hewson's election campaign in 1993. By
745-805: A Distinguished Fellow of the Australia India Institute. Her other activities include membership of the Women's Advisory Group to the National Breast Cancer Centre, and membership of the University of Sydney 's Research Institute for Asia Pacific. She is a member of the Sydney Symphony Council , and was the Patron of Osteoporosis Australia. Until April 2024, McKew sat on an advisory board to
894-464: A Go , broadcast on the commercial radio station, 2GB . After gaining his Leaving Certificate , he studied law at the University of Sydney , graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1962. Howard began working for the firm of Stephen Jaques and Stephen as a junior solicitor. In 1964, he took a trip around the world, visiting Britain, Europe, Israel, India, and Singapore. After returning to Sydney in 1965, he began working for Clayton Utz , but "lacked
1043-463: A Labor gain, and Howard himself said in conceding the election to Rudd that it was "very likely" he had been unseated. However, McKew hesitated to claim victory, saying that the seat was on a "knife edge." In a press conference held on 26 November, McKew declared Bennelong "a Labor seat for the first time", but stopped short of formally claiming victory. Earlier Antony Green said there was "no doubt" McKew had won. On 1 December 2007, while counting
1192-465: A bid to become prime minister himself—the " Joh for Canberra " campaign. Keating campaigned against Howard's proposed tax changes forcing Howard to admit a double-counting in the proposal, and emphasising to the electorate that the package would mean at that stage undisclosed cuts to government services. Howard was not helped when the federal Nationals broke off the Coalition agreement in support of
1341-768: A big factor in her 2003 decision was that she regarded the party as being without direction at the time. McKew had also been approached by John Hewson in the past to join the Liberal Party . After resigning from the ABC in December 2006, McKew joined the Australian Labor Party in January 2007 as a special adviser on strategy to Labor leader Kevin Rudd . The Australian reported in early February that McKew
1490-763: A book and described the Howard era of government as one characterised by "brutish" politics. Maxine McKew delivered her first speech in the House of Representatives on 14 February 2008. On 6 June 2009, in a ministerial reshuffle brought on as a result of the resignations of the Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon , and the Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Senator Jan McLucas , Maxine McKew became Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. McKew
1639-400: A boy. In 1955, when Howard was aged 16, his father died, leaving his mother to take care of him. Howard suffered a hearing impairment in his youth, leaving him with a slight speech impediment , and he continues to wear a hearing aid. 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
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#17327982131771788-409: A breakaway group of protesters attack the entrance to Parliament. The Howard government made waterfront reform a key feature of the 'first wave' of its industrial relations agenda. Their goal was to lift exports and hence improve the economy, but also sought to use it as a symbolic issue to decrease trade union influence. Initially, new workplace legislation was introduced in December 1996—following
1937-759: A broadly based indirect tax, and the rejection of counter-cyclical fiscal policy. Following the defeat of the Fraser government and Fraser's subsequent resignation from parliament, Howard contested the Liberal leadership against Andrew Peacock , losing 36–20 . However, he was re-elected as deputy leader. The Liberal Party were again defeated by Labor at the early 1984 election . In 1985, as Labor's position in opinion polls improved, Peacock's popularity sank and Howard's profile rose. Leadership speculation persisted, and Peacock said he would no longer accept Howard as deputy unless he offered assurances that he would not challenge for
2086-402: A considerably reduced majority (from 45 seats to 12). Howard himself finished just short of a majority on the first count in his own seat, and was only assured of reelection on the ninth count. He ultimately finished with a fairly comfortable 56 per cent of the two-party preferred vote. In 1998, Howard convened a constitutional convention which decided in principle that Australia should become
2235-585: A country to say 'we will decide what the cultural identity and the cultural destiny of this country will be and nobody else." Howard is opposed to abortion and voted against the RU-486 abortion drug being legalised. As the country's economic position worsened in 1989, public opinion moved away from Labor, however there was no firm opinion poll lead for Howard or the Coalition. In February, Liberal Party president and prominent businessman, John Elliott , said confidentially to Andrew Peacock that he would support him in
2384-625: A deal with Democrats Leader Cheryl Kernot —to include a no-disadvantage test, increase employer's power to deal directly with workers, limit strike action, ban secondary boycotts, ban compulsory unionism, and introduce Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs). Large fines were imposed on unions involved in illegal strike activity. An "Interventionist Strategy" was devised in March 1997 between Industrial Relations Minister, Peter Reith , Transport Minister John Sharp , and Patrick Corporation managing director Chris Corrigan whereby Patrick's would replace
2533-634: A difficult sell during the election campaign which was considered a "referendum on the GST". Alexander Downer assumed the office of Minister for Foreign Affairs in the first term of the Howard government and remained in the post until 2007. Howard and Downer sought to shift the emphasis of the Keating government 's narrative on Australian foreign policy. In his 2010 biography Lazarus Rising , Howard wrote that he saw Keating's narrative as implying Australia had in some way to "show an overt preference for links with Asia over our ties with traditional allies such as
2682-550: A five per cent swing, taking 13 seats away from Labor in New South Wales, and winning all but two seats in Queensland. The Liberals actually won a majority in their own right with 75 seats, the most that the party had ever won. It was only the third time (the others being 1975 and 1977) that the main non-Labor party has been even theoretically able to govern alone since the Coalition's formation. Nevertheless, Howard kept
2831-493: A government loss. A 4.6 percent swing away from the government translated into a two-party preferred vote of 49.02 per cent for the government to Labor's 50.98 per cent. Despite One Nation winning almost 1 million votes and its 8.4 percent first preference vote being larger than the National Party's, Pauline Hanson did not win her run for the House of Representatives seat of Blair. On election night, John Howard claimed
2980-573: A large " mining boom ", and significantly reduced government debt by the time he left office. He was known for his broad appeal to voters across the political spectrum, and commanded a diverse base of supporters, colloquially referred to as his " battlers ". Retrospectively, ratings of Howard's premiership have been polarised. His critics have admonished him for involving Australia in the Iraq War, his policies regarding asylum seekers, and his economic agenda. Nonetheless, he has been frequently ranked within
3129-485: A leadership challenge against Howard, and in May a surprise leadership coup was launched, ousting Howard as Liberal leader. When asked that day whether he could become Liberal leader again, Howard likened it to "Lazarus with a triple bypass" . The loss of the Liberal Party leadership to Peacock deeply affected Howard, who admitted he would occasionally drink too much. Declining Peacock's offer of Shadow Education, Howard went to
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#17327982131773278-405: A long time, and cited high inflation , a poor current account deficit and high national debt as evidence of bad economic management. He called for industrial relations reform to increase flexibility and improve productivity and offered tax relief for families. He proposed increased spending on environmental challenges, to be in part funded by the partial sale of Telstra . He also promised to restore
3427-535: A lower rate than at the previous 1993 Election, and interest rates were lower than they had been in 1990, but foreign debt had been growing. The Keating government was projecting a small budget surplus. Following the election, an $ 8 billion deficit was confirmed. Delivering his Policy Launch Speech at the Ryde Civic Centre in Sydney on 18 February 1996, Howard emphasised that Labor had been in office
3576-574: A man of steel, he's showed the world he's a man of heart." In April 2002, Howard was the first Australian prime minister to attend a royal funeral, that of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother . In October Howard responded to the 2002 Bali bombing with calls for solidarity. Howard re-dedicated his government to the " War on Terror ". In March 2003, Australia joined the US-led " Multinational force in Iraq " in sending 2,000 troops and naval units to support in
3725-612: A new workplace and productivity agreement, which was adopted in June 1998, that included halving the permanent workforce, casualisation and contracting, the MUA retaining the right to represent maritime workers, and changing work practices to what the company originally sought. The government did not have a majority in the Senate , and thus had to negotiate legislation through the Senate with either
3874-626: A political memoir entitled Tales from the Political Trenches . McKew's account of her life in politics is highly critical of the leadership decisions and internal culture of the Federal ALP. McKew is a long-term participant in the Australian-American Leadership Dialogue, a bipartisan bilateral civil diplomatic initiative founded by Melbourne businessman Phil Scanlan. She also serves as
4023-528: A republic . At the convention Howard confirmed himself as a monarchist, and said that of the republican options, he preferred the minimalist model. Howard outlined his support for retaining the Australian constitutional monarchy . Despite opinion polls suggesting Australians favoured a republic, a 1999 referendum rejected the model chosen by the convention. The new President of Indonesia , B.J. Habibie , had some months earlier agreed to grant special autonomy to Indonesian-occupied East Timor . However, following
4172-493: A republic. Howard outlined his support for retaining the status quo on the basis that it had provided a long period of stability and whilst he said there was no question that Australia was a fully independent nation, he believed that the "separation of the ceremonial and executive functions of government" and the presence of a neutral "defender of constitutional integrity" was an advantage in government and that no republican model would be as effective in providing such an outcome as
4321-535: A result, the Hawke government was handily reelected, winning the most seats that Labor had ever won in an election. In his social agenda, Howard promoted the traditional family and was antipathetic to the promotion of multiculturalism at the expense of a shared Australian identity. The controversial immigration policy, One Australia , outlined a vision of "one nation and one future" and opposed multiculturalism. Howard publicly suggested that to support "social cohesion"
4470-411: A symbol of generational change . Howard was a supporter of Hewson's economic program, with a Goods and Services Tax (GST) as its centrepiece. Howard was Shadow Minister for Industrial relations and oversaw Jobsback section of Fightback. 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
4619-565: A variety of temporary jobs, including relief typing at a London BBC office. A letter requesting a job—written by McKew on BBC letterhead paper—was rewarded with a cadetship at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in Brisbane in 1974 following a brief stint as a news analyst at the investment bank Goldman Sachs . In 1976 she moved on to host This Day Tonight , a local current affairs program. In
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4768-631: A violent "scorched-earth" campaign in retaliation to the referendum's overwhelming vote in favour of independence. The successful mission was widely supported by Australian voters, but the government was criticised for "foreign policy failure" following the violence and collapse of diplomatic relations with Indonesia. By Howard's fourth term, relations with Indonesia had recovered to include counter-terrorism cooperation and Australia's $ 1bn Boxing Day Tsunami relief efforts, and were assisted by good relations between Howard and Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono . Throughout his prime-ministership, Howard
4917-555: A voting process, the Convention proposed that a Bi-partisan appointment republican model to be put to a referendum of the Australian nation in 1999. The Convention recommended that state parliaments also examine the issue of the republic, as each State has separate and individual constitutional links to the monarchy. Certain recommendations were made for a new Constitutional preamble which included introductory language along
5066-697: Is an Australian former Labor politician and journalist; she was the Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government in the First Rudd Ministry and the First Gillard Ministry . Between 2007 and 2010, she was the member of the House of Representatives for the Division of Bennelong , New South Wales . Until 2007, the seat was held by the then Prime Minister John Howard , who had been
5215-685: Is descended from convict William Tooley, who was transported to New South Wales in 1816 for stealing a watch. Howard was born and raised in the Sydney suburb of Earlwood , in a Methodist family. His mother had been an office worker until her marriage, while his father and his paternal grandfather, Walter Howard, were both veterans of the First Australian Imperial Force in the First World War . They also ran two Dulwich Hill petrol stations where Howard worked as
5364-472: Is the second-longest in Australian history , behind only Sir Robert Menzies . Howard has also been the oldest living Australian former prime minister since the death of Bob Hawke in May 2019. Howard was born in Sydney and studied law at the University of Sydney . He was a commercial lawyer before entering parliament. A former federal president of the Young Liberals , he first stood for office at
5513-407: The 1968 New South Wales state election , but lost narrowly. At the 1974 federal election , Howard was elected as a member of parliament (MP) for the division of Bennelong . He was promoted to cabinet in 1977, and later in the year replaced Phillip Lynch as treasurer of Australia , remaining in that position until the defeat of Malcolm Fraser 's government at the 1983 election . In 1985, Howard
5662-652: The 1998 waterfront dispute and the introduction of WorkChoices ; the 1999 Australian republic referendum ; reconciliation and native title; the introduction of a goods and services tax ; the 1999 Australian-led intervention in East Timor ; blocking boats of refugees from seeking asylum in Australia; the "War on Terror"; the intervention in Northern Territory Indigenous communities ; and an economy that experienced sustained growth throughout
5811-486: The 1998 waterfront dispute , the partial sale of government telecommunications company Telstra , and the Government's commitment to a GST. Howard called a snap election for October 1998, three months sooner than required. The Coalition actually lost the national two-party preferred vote to Labor, suffering a 14-seat swing. However, the uneven nature of the swing allowed Howard to win a second term in government, with
5960-618: The 2001 election , the Coalition trailed behind Labor in opinion polling . However, in a campaign dominated by national security, Howard introduced changes to Australia's immigration system to deter asylum seekers from entering the country, and pledged military assistance to the United States following the September 11 attacks . Due to this, Howard won widespread support, and his government would be narrowly re-elected. In Howard's third term in office, Australia contributed troops to
6109-453: The 2007 federal election by the Australian Labor Party , whose leader Kevin Rudd then formed the first Rudd government . It was the second-longest government under a single prime minister, with the longest having been the second Menzies government (1949–1966). Two senior ministers served in single roles for the duration of the government; Peter Costello as Treasurer and Alexander Downer as Minister for Foreign Affairs . The leader of
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6258-612: The Australian Democrats or the independents. The Senate modified government legislation, including the partial privatisation of the government-owned telecommunications company, Telstra ; 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 . During this first term, only two pieces of legislation were rejected outright by
6407-505: The Australian Republican Movement and Australians for Constitutional Monarchy . At the convention, Liberal-National delegates were permitted to advocate freely whether for or against change. Prime Minister Howard and Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer spoke in favour of the status quo in relation to the republic, while Treasurer Peter Costello supported change. The Labor opposition also advocated for change to
6556-539: The Australian constitutional monarchy . Tim Fischer said that the Australian Constitution had delivered one of the "oldest continuous federated democracies in the world" and that changing it would be a complex operation: "The case for changing our mighty Constitution which has helped modernise Australia remains distant, divided and ill-defined. I say: stay with a system that works and works well". Peter Costello also rejected any suggestion that Australia
6705-572: The Fraser government from 1977 to 1983. He replaced Andrew Peacock as leader of the Opposition in 1985 and challenged the Hawke government at the 1987 election , which saw Labor returned. Peacock successfully challenged and replaced Howard prior to the 1990 election , which again returned Labor. The Liberals turned to two further leaders (John Hewson and Alexander Downer) before restoring Howard to
6854-562: The International Monetary Fund to other nations in the region – notably Thailand, Korea and Indonesia – and lobbied The IMF and USA to ease demands placed on Indonesia. Through much of its first term, opinion polling had been disappointing for the government; at times many in the government feared being a "one-term wonder". The popularity of Pauline Hanson and her One Nation party and the new restrictions on gun ownership drew many traditionally Coalition voters away from
7003-515: The Keating government in relation to the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. The government adopted most of the recommendations of the report, though pointedly did not agree that a national "apology" from the Parliament would be an appropriate response. A Constitutional Convention was called by the Howard government in February 1998 to consider
7152-604: The National Party served as Deputy Prime Minister . Three men served in this capacity during the Howard government: Tim Fischer until July 1999, followed by John Anderson until July 2005 and then Mark Vaile . Decisions of the Executive were made either by the Cabinet or by the appropriate Minister . For the first three terms of government, and part of the fourth term, the Howard government did not have control of
7301-438: The Senate . Legislation needed the support of the Opposition or minor parties for that legislation to be passed and become law. In the 2004 election, the Coalition won control of the Senate for all but the first nine months of its fourth term, and was able to pass legislation without the support of minor parties. The government also faced internal problems and tension, with the loss of numerous ministers during its first term due to
7450-715: The State Library Victoria . While a member, she was involved in the Teen Writing Bootcamp controversy . Emails obtained under the Freedom of Information Act revealed McKew had encouraged the scrutinising of Lebanese Australian Muslim poet Omar Sakr 's social media to monitor his support of Palestine and views about the Israel-Hamas war . She added: "It doesn’t mean we vet everyone for their social and political views, but it does mean on
7599-754: The Sydney suburb of Epping with her partner, former ALP National Secretary Bob Hogg . McKew is Roman Catholic and Hogg is divorced; consequently, they have chosen not to marry. McKew had previously indicated active plans to move into the electorate of Bennelong, before doing so in March 2007. On 3 March 2007, allegations of death threats against McKew were widely reported. There has been speculation that attempts to tamper with her car were by car thieves looking for spare parts rather than by politically motivated individuals. After graduating from high school, she briefly attended university before dropping out and living in London for two years. She supported herself with
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#17327982131777748-642: The War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War , and led the International Force for East Timor . The Coalition would be re-elected once more at the 2004 federal election . In his final term in office, his government introduced industrial relations reforms known as WorkChoices , which proved controversial and unpopular with the public. The Howard government was defeated at the 2007 federal election , with
7897-532: The War in Afghanistan despite widespread opposition. Howard developed a strong personal relationship with the President, and they shared often similar ideological positions – including on the role of the United States in world affairs and their approach to the " War on Terror ". In May 2003, Howard made an overnight stay at Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch in Texas, after which Bush said that Howard "...is not only
8046-598: The Wik Decision of the High Court in 1996, the Howard government moved swiftly to legislate limitations on its possible implications through the so-called Ten-Point Plan . From 1997, Howard spearheaded the Coalition push to introduce a Goods and Services Tax (GST) at the subsequent election; this was despite saying, before winning the prime ministership, that it would "never ever" be part of Coalition policy. A long-held conviction of Howard's, his tax reform package
8195-485: The federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Howard between 11 March 1996 and 3 December 2007. It was made up of members of the Liberal – National Coalition , which won a majority of seats in the House of Representatives at four successive elections. The Howard government commenced following victory over the Keating government at the 1996 federal election . It concluded with its defeat at
8344-542: The invasion of Iraq . In response to the Australian participation in the invasion, there were large protests in Australian cities during March 2003, and Prime Minister Howard was heckled from the public gallery of Parliament House. While opinion polls showed that opposition to the war without UN backing was between 48 and 92 per cent, Howard remained preferred prime-minister over the Leader of the Opposition, Simon Crean , although his approval ratings were lower compared to before
8493-485: The "Joh for Canberra" push, which led to a large number of three-cornered contests. Bjelke-Petersen abandoned his bid for prime minister a month before the election, however, the damage had already been done. Additionally, a number of swing voters outside Queensland were alarmed at the prospect of Bjelke-Petersen holding the balance of power, and voted for Labor to ensure that the Liberals and Nationals would be defeated. As
8642-425: The "cavalcade to Canberra" rally to protest against the industrial relations reform agenda. The protest began with senior Australian Trade Union officials including ACTU President Jennie George and Assistant Secretary Greg Combet , as well as senior members of the Australian Labor Party rallying demonstrators from a podium. The initially peaceful protest deteriorated into the 1996 Parliament House riot which saw
8791-549: The "most blemished chapter" in Australia's history; offered "deep and sincere regret " for past injustices. Following his 2007 loss of the prime ministership, Howard was the only living former prime minister who declined to attend the February 2008 apology made by Kevin Rudd with bi-partisan support. Howard did not commit to serving a full term if he won the next election; on his 61st birthday in July 2000 he said he would consider
8940-535: The 20-year Labor incumbent, Les Haylen . In mid-1964, Howard travelled to London to work and travel for a period. He volunteered for the Conservative Party in the electorate of Holborn and St Pancras South at the 1964 UK general election . In 1967, with the support of party power brokers John Carrick and Eric Willis , Howard was endorsed as candidate for the marginal suburban state seat of Drummoyne , held by Labor's Reg Coady . Howard's mother sold
9089-491: The Asian Financial Crisis, in which regional economies had fallen into recession, while Australia stood out as the economic "strong man of Asia": Labor left us, despite all the protestations of Mr Beazley and Mr Keating, a deficit of $ 10.5 billion and we turned that into a surplus a year ahead of schedule. Howard credited his government with having reduced debt and unemployment and outlined his case for
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#17327982131779238-484: The Campbell report, but adopted an incremental approach with Cabinet, as there was wide opposition to deregulation within the government and the treasury. 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 described these reforms as "second only in importance to
9387-464: The Coalition to a landslide victory at the 1996 federal election . In his first term, Howard introduced reformed gun laws in response to the Port Arthur massacre , and controversially implemented a nationwide value-added tax , breaking a pre-election promise. The Howard government called a snap election for October 1998 , which they won, albeit with a greatly reduced majority. Going into
9536-511: The Dole was first proposed by the Liberal Party of Australia in 1987, and was enacted on a trial basis a year after it gained power at the 1996 federal election in their traditional coalition . Despite mixed feelings among younger people, at whom the program was aimed, there was little mainstream opposition when it was launched. On 1 July 1998, all job seekers aged 18–24 that had been claiming benefits for six months or more were required to join
9685-564: The Dole was expanded to include those aged 35–39. Additionally, those aged 40–49 could volunteer themselves for the scheme for the first time. A broad-based goods and services tax (GST) had previously been proposed by both the Labor Party and the Coalition as a means of reducing the reliance of the Commonwealth on income tax, by increasing the tax on consumption. The existing wholesale sales tax only applied to certain products, while
9834-408: The Government would lose office in the election later that year. The government announced a series of policy reversals and softenings which boosted the government's fortunes, as did news that the economy had avoided recession. The government's position on "border protection", in particular the Tampa affair where Howard refused the landing of asylum seekers rescued by a Norwegian freighter, consolidated
9983-447: The Governor-General swearing them into office on 11 March. The size of the Coalition victory gave John Howard great power within the Liberal party and he said he came to the office "with very clear views on where I wanted to take the country". In the first week of the new government, Howard sacked six department heads and chose new department heads himself and changes were made across the public service. On 28 April 1996, eight weeks into
10132-407: The High Court decision determined that Native Title could co-exist with pastoral leases, which caused farmers to fear they would lose their land. The government announced a "Ten Point Plan" to deal with the uncertainty that had the effect of weakening the Native Title Act. The legislation termed the " Native Title Amendment Act 1998 " was introduced into Parliament in September 1997, but was opposed by
10281-419: The Howard government. Also controversial had been the large spending cuts, the waterfront dispute and industrial changes, and the government's commitment to a GST. On 20 September 1998, at the Riverside Theatre in Parramatta, Howard delivered a conspicuously "no frills" policy launch in which he said that "economic competence" should be the major issue of the election, at a time of economic uncertainty following
10430-415: The Labor Party's Kevin Rudd succeeding him as prime minister. Howard also lost his own seat of Bennelong at the election to Maxine McKew , becoming only the second prime minister to do so, after Stanley Bruce at the 1929 election . Following this loss, Howard retired from politics, but has remained active in political discourse. Howard's government presided over a sustained period of economic growth and
10579-414: The Labor party in the Senate. A deal announced on 3 July 1998 between Independent Senator Brian Harradine and the prime minister saw the legislation pass the Senate. The legislation meant that 120 agreements and permits in doubt due to the "Wik decision" were now valid. On 26 May 1997, John Howard tabled the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission's Bringing Them Home Report , a report commissioned by
10728-432: The Liberal Party. In December 1977, aged 38, Howard was appointed Treasurer , in place of Phillip Lynch . He was the youngest Treasurer since Chris Watson in 1904. Fraser said in his memoirs that he appointed him despite his limited experience because "he was bright and he got across a brief well, and he was a good manager". During his five years in the position, Howard became an adherent of free-market economics , which
10877-689: The Mahatir and Howard governments, when Howard criticised Mahatir's treatment of Mahatir's former Deputy Anwar Ibrahim and when Mahatir became a trenchant critic of Australian military operations in East Timor and later Iraq. Howard selected Indonesia and Japan for his first foreign visits and went to China in early 1997 at the invitation of President Jiang Zemin . Howard then visited the United States to meet with US President Bill Clinton and on to Britain to meet with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in July of that year. Australia-Indonesia relations were on
11026-548: The Nationals in his government. Howard entered office with a 45-seat majority—the second-biggest majority in Australian history, only behind Fraser's 55-seat majority in 1975. At the age of 56, he was sworn in as prime minister on 11 March 1996, ending a record 13 years of Coalition opposition. Howard departed from tradition and made his primary residence Kirribilli House in Sydney rather than The Lodge in Canberra. Early in
11175-422: The Opposition. Defunct Defunct Howard was in effect the Liberal party's first pro-market leader in the conservative Coalition and spent the next two years working to revise Liberal policy away from that of Fraser's. In his own words he was an "economic radical" and a social conservative . Referring to the pro-market liberalism of the 1980s, Howard said in July 1986 that "The times will suit me". That year
11324-598: The Senate, being the Workplace Relationships Amendment Bill 1997 and the Telstra (Transition to Full Private Ownership) Bill 1998. A " work for the dole " system was introduced that required able-bodied social security recipients to participate in activities aimed at improving their social and work skills. The coalition campaigned on a policy of "clean government" as a contrast to the previous government. A "Code of Ministerial Conduct"
11473-476: The Senate. Through much of its first term, opinion polling was disappointing for the government. The popularity of Pauline Hanson, and the new restrictions on gun ownership drew many traditionally Coalition voters away from the Howard government. Also unpopular with voters were large spending cuts aimed at eliminating the budget deficit (and Howard's distinction between "core" and "non-core" election promises when cutting spending commitments), industrial changes and
11622-450: The United States and Britain, especially the latter", whereas in Howard's view, Australia "did not have to choose between her history and her geography". Howard summarised this policy emphasis as "Asia first, not Asia only". Soon after taking office, Howard met with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahatir , to smooth relations in the aftermath of former Prime Minister Keating's falling out with Mahatir. Relations subsequently deteriorated between
11771-433: The backbench and a new period of party disunity ensued which was highlighted by a Four Corners episode detailing the coup against Howard. Following the Coalition's 1990 election loss, Howard considered challenging Peacock for the leadership, but didn't have enough support for a bid. Ultimately, Peacock resigned and was replaced with Howard's former staffer John Hewson who defeated Peter Reith ; Peacock supported Hewson as
11920-488: The country—resulted in stagflation ; unemployment touched double-digits and inflation peaked at 12.5% (official interest rates peaked at 21%). The Fraser government with Howard as Treasurer lost the 1983 election to the Labor Party led by Bob Hawke . Over the course of the 1980s, the Liberal Party came to accept the free-market policies that Fraser had resisted and Howard had espoused. Policies included low protection, decentralisation of wage fixation, financial deregulation,
12069-518: The cusp of a volatile period, with the approaching collapse of the Suharto government and independence for East Timor. During the course of the Howard government, trade with China was to grow exponentially, and Howard was to cultivate close working relationships with Clinton's replacement, George W. Bush of the United States and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. The emergence of the 1997 Asian financial crisis shifted regional dynamics, and contributed to
12218-474: The demise of the Suharto administration and Indonesia's transition to democracy, through which the Howard government negotiated bilateral relations. In one of the Howard government's most significant foreign policy initiatives, Australia contributed assistance to the region as part of an international bail-out. The Australian economy avoided the downturn and, along with Japan, offered supplementary help to that of
12367-581: The disclosure that he was a shopping centre landlord whilst he was responsible for commercial tenancy provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974 . John Sharp , David Jull and Peter McGauran resigned in September 1997 over irregularities in the use of ministerial travel allowances in what became known in the media as the "Travel Rorts Affair". John Moore and Warwick Parer survived revelations about his shareholdings. Parer however
12516-506: The economy was seen to be in crisis with a 40% devaluation of the Australian dollar, a marked increase in the current account deficit and the loss of the Federal Government's triple A rating. In response to the economic circumstances, Howard persistently attacked the Labor government and offered his free-market reform agenda. Support for the Labor Party and Hawke strengthened in 1985 and 1986 and Howard's approval ratings dropped in
12665-486: The election, and McKew announced that she and Hogg were selling their Mosman home. The seat had once been a Liberal stronghold (it had been in Liberal hands since its creation in 1949), but it had shifted increasingly to Labor in recent years. Howard had held the seat since 1974, but in two out of the three elections he had fought since becoming prime minister, he'd needed to go to preferences to win another term in his own seat. McKew outlined her position on issues such as
12814-465: The environment, education and women in The Bulletin in mid-2007. Following a redistribution in 2006, the already marginal Liberal seat had become slightly more so , with Labor needing a swing of 4 percent to win it. This placed Bennelong just barely on the edge of seats that would likely fall to Labor in the event it won government. However, much of the area was already represented by Labor at
12963-463: The existing current unionised labour with non-unionised labour using the government's new industrial relations legislation . The government agreed to the company's request to fund redundancy payments later announced to be $ 150 million. The company secretly trained an alternate workforce in Dubai. In December 1997, the plan became public (Peter Reith denied knowledge of the plan) and the union movement
13112-478: The face of infighting between Howard and Peacock supporters, a "public manifestation of disunity" over policy positions, and questions over Howard's leadership. Hawke called the 1987 federal election six months early. In addition to the Howard–Peacock rivalry, Queensland National Party criticism of the federal Liberal and National leadership culminated in longtime Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen making
13261-469: 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 narrowly lost to Coady, despite campaigning vigorously. At the 1974 federal election , Howard successfully contested the Division of Bennelong , located in suburban Sydney. The election saw
13410-501: The first Coalition government budget, the public service was "downsized", the Commonwealth Employment Service (CES) was privatised, and cuts were made to all departments with the exception of defence. $ 8 billion in spending cuts were made over the government's first two budgets. Industrial relations reform had been a key issue canvassed by John Howard in the 1996 election campaign. On 1 January 1997,
13559-562: The first time since the Fraser era, industrial relations changes were enacted. Named " WorkChoices " and championed by Howard, they were intended to fundamentally change the employer-employee relationship. Opposed by a broad trade union campaign and antipathy within the electorate, WorkChoices was subsequently seen as a major factor in the government's 2007 election loss. Howard government Prime Minister of Australia Term of government (1996–2007) Ministries Elections [REDACTED] The Howard government refers to
13708-512: The float of the Australian dollar in 1983." In 1981, Howard proposed a broad-based indirect tax with compensatory cuts in personal rates; however, cabinet rejected it citing both inflationary and political reasons. After the free-marketeers or "drys" of the Liberals challenged the protectionist policies of Minister for Industry and Commerce Phillip Lynch , they shifted their loyalties to Howard. Following an unsuccessful leadership challenge by Andrew Peacock to unseat Fraser as prime minister, Howard
13857-542: The following 12 months. The Coalition Tax Reform Package was launched on 13 August 1998 and included a 10 percent GST with the proceeds to be distributed to the states. Income tax would be lowered and the wholesale sales tax abolished, along with certain taxes on financial transactions. Over that fortnight, the proposal received a generally positive response and on 30 August the Prime Minister announced an early election for 3 October 1998. The GST, however, proved to be
14006-434: The government's term of office. John Howard became Leader of the Opposition on 30 January 1995, replacing Alexander Downer , who resigned in his favour. Downer took the position of Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Peter Costello retained his position as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and Shadow Treasurer. Howard had had a long Parliamentary career, having entered Parliament in 1974 and serving as Treasurer in
14155-579: The improving polls for the government, as did the 11 September 2001 attacks . Howard led the government to victory in the 2001 federal election with an increased majority. Howard had first met US President George W. Bush in the days before the 11 September terrorist attacks and was in Washington the morning of the attacks. In response to the attacks, Howard invoked the ANZUS Treaty . In October 2001, he committed Australian military personnel to
14304-465: The inefficiency of the wharves." Over the following months, a bitter and sometimes violent dispute took place at port locations. The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) took the case to the Federal Court and after an appeals process, and an interim injunction instructing the company to reinstate the 1,400 workers, the High Court ultimately found in favour of the MUA. The MUA and Patricks reached
14453-484: The introduction of a Goods and Services Tax, describing the existing taxation system as "broken", and saying that the Coalition's tax reform proposals would introduce a new economy wide tax to be dedicated to the funding of the States, while at the same time reducing or eliminating a range of inefficient existing taxes: And it is only through having a goods and services tax as part of our plan that we can actually guarantee
14602-407: The introduction of a ministerial code of conduct and ongoing leadership rivalry between John Howard and Peter Costello. Significant issues for the Howard government included implementation of substantial spending cuts in its first term of office and completely paying off government debt; gun control; the popularity of Pauline Hanson and her One Nation party; industrial relations reforms, including
14751-440: The issue as instrumental in Howard subsequently losing the leadership in 1989. In a 1995 newspaper article (and in 2002 as prime minister), Howard recanted his 1988 remarks on curbing Asian immigration. In line with "One Australia's" rejection of Aboriginal land rights, Howard said the idea of an Aboriginal treaty was "repugnant to the ideals of One Australia" and commented "I don't think it is wrong, racist, immoral or anything, for
14900-465: The late 1980s, McKew worked for Ten News as a pollical reporter before returning to the ABC. McKew appeared as herself in the eighth episode of the first series, and in the sixth episode of the second series of the Australia television series The Games . In over 30 years working at the ABC, McKew worked as a presenter on the 7:30 Report and Lateline , and also worked on The Carleton-Walsh Report , AM , PM , and The Bottom Line . McKew
15049-452: The lead up to the 1996 election that a GST would "never ever" be Coalition policy, which was repeated in August 1996 once in government. In May 1997, the Prime Minister shocked his party and created headlines when he unilaterally indicated a GST might be proposed as part of broader changes to the tax system. In August of that year, the Prime Minister announced that the government would contest
15198-399: The lead up to the election, Howard again did not commit to serving a full term. Howard attacked Latham's economic record as Mayor of Liverpool City Council and attacked Labor's economic history. The election resulted in a five-seat swing to the Coalition, netting it a majority almost as large as in 1996. It also resulted the first, albeit slim, government majority in the Senate since 1981. For
15347-490: The leadership, which went to Alexander Downer . Hewson had pledged to resign if defeated in 1993 but did not resign to block Howard from succeeding him. In January 1995, leaked internal Liberal Party polling showed that with gaffe-prone Downer as leader, the Coalition had slim chance of holding its marginal seats in the next election, let alone of winning government. Media speculation of a leadership spill ended when, on 26 January 1995, Downer resigned as Liberal Leader and Howard
15496-451: The leadership. Following Howard's refusal to offer such an assurance, Peacock sought, in September 1985, to replace him with John Moore as deputy leader. The party room re-elected Howard as deputy on 5 September 38 votes to 31, which Peacock treated as a vote of no confidence in his leadership. He subsequently called a leadership ballot , which he chose not to contest. Howard defeated Jim Carlton by 57 votes to six, thus becoming Leader of
15645-401: The levels of government services and the levels of welfare support that all decent minded Australians believe should be available in a modern, civilised and compassionate Australian community. The Kim Beazley -led Labor opposition opposed the GST outright. On 3 October 1998, the Howard government won a second term with its March 1996 majority of 45 seats reduced to 12. Exit polls had predicted
15794-482: The lines of "we the Australian people", and referencing "Almighty God", custodianship and occupancy of Australia by Indigenous Australians , as well as affirmations of the law, cultural diversity, unique land and environment and democratic political system of Australia. The 457 visa was the Temporary Business (Long Stay) and was introduced soon after John Howard became prime minister in 1996 Work for
15943-768: The majority of the provisions of the Workplace Relations Act 1996 came into effect. The Act substantially amended the Industrial Relations Act 1988 and, under the legislation, the jurisdiction of the Industrial Relations Court of Australia , established by the Keating government in 1994, was transferred to the Federal Court of Australia . Elements of the reforms were opposed by the Labor Party and Union movement. The Australian Council of Trade Unions called
16092-441: The member for 33 years. She was only the second person to unseat a sitting Australian prime minister since Jack Holloway defeated Stanley Bruce in 1929; and the third person to unseat the leader of a major party, after Neville Newell defeated Charles Blunt , leader of the National Party, in 1990. At the 2010 Federal election she lost her seat to the Liberal Party candidate, John Alexander . Before entering politics, McKew
16241-421: The mooted GST would apply to all products and services equally. In 1981 Treasurer John Howard proposed an indirect consumption tax to Cabinet, a mid-1980s proposal advocated by then treasurer Paul Keating was stopped within the Labor Party, and the Coalition's loss of the "unlosable" 1993 Federal Election was widely attributed to their GST proposal. In reference to his long-held support for a GST, John Howard said in
16390-512: The new government's term, 35 people were shot dead by a lone gunman in Port Arthur , Tasmania. John Howard led a push to significantly increase restrictions on gun ownership, which divided the cabinet and inflamed some rural voters who were an important part of the Coalition's core constituency. The new National Firearms Program Implementation Act 1996 restricted the ownership of semi-automatic rifles , semi-automatic shotguns , pump-action shotguns , and introduced uniform firearms licensing. It
16539-402: The next election offering a GST with extensive compensatory cuts in income and sales taxes. A long-held conviction of Howard's, the tax reform proposal was credited with boosting his confidence and direction, which had appeared to wane early in the government's second year. The Treasurer was charged with forming and running a special confidential working group to devise the details of the plan over
16688-552: The office to lead the Coalition against the Keating Labor government . Long-serving Labor Treasurer Paul Keating had successfully challenged Bob Hawke for the leadership of the Labor Party and the prime ministership in 1991. Despite Australia suffering a deep recession in the early 1990s, Labor had increased its lead over the Coalition at the 1993 election , which had seen the Liberals under Hewson offer an ambitious program of economic reform called Fightback! , which proposed
16837-545: The outstanding mail-in and absentee ballots to retain his seat. It was not until 12 December that Howard formally conceded defeat, with the Electoral Commission formally declaring McKew the winner by 44,685 votes (51.4 percent) to Howard's 42,251 (48.6 percent). The final tally indicated that McKew had won victory on the 14th count due to a large flow of Green preferences to her; 3,793 (78.84 percent) of Green voters listed McKew as their second preference. This
16986-528: The prime minister's attendance at question time in parliament (which Keating had reduced in his final term). The 1996 Election brought to an end 13 years of the Hawke-Keating Labor government . The Liberal-National Coalition won the federal election on 2 March 1996 against the incumbent Keating Labor government . The coalition had a 45-seat majority in the House of Representatives. Howard announced his proposed ministry team on 8 March 1996, with
17135-665: The question of Australia becoming a republic and consider other alterations to the Australian Constitution which might be appropriate for the coming centenary of the Federation of Australia in 2001. The convention had been promised in Opposition by Alexander Downer in response to the republican proposals of the Keating government . Consisting of 152 delegates, the Convention comprised both appointed and elected delegates. Appointees included 40 national parliamentarians and elected delegates included representatives of
17284-406: The question of retirement when he turned 64. This was interpreted as boosting Costello's leadership aspirations, and the enmity over leadership and succession resurfaced publicly when Howard did not retire at the age of 64. In the first half of 2001, rising petrol prices, voter enmity over the implementation of the GST, a spike in inflation and economic slowdown led to bad opinion polls and predictions
17433-576: The rate of Asian immigration be "slowed down a little". The comments divided opinion within the Coalition, and undermined Howard's standing amongst Liberal party figures including federal and state Ministers, intellectual opinion makers, business leaders, and within the Asia Pacific. Three Liberal MPs crossed the floor and two abstained in response to a motion put forward by Prime Minister Hawke to affirm that race or ethnicity would not be used as immigrant selection criteria. Many Liberals later nominated
17582-422: The receipt of a letter sent by Howard to Habibie suggesting that a referendum be held, Habibie made a snap decision to hold a vote on independence. This referendum on the territory's independence triggered a Howard and Downer orchestrated shift in Australian policy. In September 1999, Howard organised an Australian-led international peace-keeping force to East Timor ( INTERFET ), after pro-Indonesia militia launched
17731-495: The return of the Gough Whitlam -led Labor government. Howard supported Malcolm Fraser for the leadership of the Liberal Party against Billy Snedden following the 1974 election. When Fraser won office at the 1975 federal election , Howard was appointed Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs , a position in which he served until 1977. At this stage, he followed the protectionist and pro-regulation stance of Fraser and
17880-553: The safe federal seat of Fowler at both the 2001 and 2004 elections. In 2004, it was the Labor leader Mark Latham who attempted to lure McKew with preselection to the western Sydney seat. Latham recorded in his diary that his efforts failed because the broadcaster would not move from her home in Mosman to Labor's outer-suburban heartland, an area which he represented as the Member for Werriwa , while McKew told ABC Radio that
18029-481: The scheme. From 19 April 1999, job seekers aged 17 or 18 and who had left Year 12 had to join the scheme after three months of job seeking. During the 2000 Summer Olympic Games , all those of an eligible age who had been unemployed for three months or more and lived in Sydney were required to participate. This temporary change was made to encourage people to take up casual work during the Games. In December 2000, Work for
18178-450: The second time since becoming prime minister, Howard came up short of a majority in the first count for his own seat. He was assured of reelection on the third count, ultimately winning 53.3 per cent of the two-party preferred vote. On 21 December 2004, Howard overtook Bob Hawke to become the second longest-serving Australian prime minister after Sir Robert Menzies . In 2006, with the government now controlling both houses of parliament for
18327-457: The state level. A previous week's Morgan poll conducted for the website Crikey put Labor's two-party preferred vote in the seat at 55%. The state of play in the battle for the electorate, as it was on 12 October 2007, had leaked polls showing McKew with an edge over the Prime Minister. On 24 November 2007, it was obvious when the first returns came in that the contest would be very tight. The ABC and several other sources projected Bennelong as
18476-426: The term Howard had championed significant new restrictions on gun ownership following the Port Arthur massacre in which 35 people had been shot dead. Achieving agreement in the face of immense opposition from within the Coalition and some State governments, was credited with significantly elevating Howard's stature as prime minister despite a backlash from core Coalition rural constituents. Howard's initial silence on
18625-570: The time the writs were issued for the 1996 election , the Coalition had been well ahead of Labor in opinion polls for over a year. The consensus of most opinion polls was that Howard would be the next prime minister. With the support of many traditionally Labor voters—dubbed " Howard battlers "—Howard and the Liberal-National Coalition swept to power on the back of a 29-seat swing. This was the second-worst defeat of an incumbent government since Federation. The Coalition picked up
18774-426: The university grades and the social connections to be on track for a partnership". He subsequently moved to a smaller firm, which became Truman, Nelson and Howard after he was made a partner. Howard married fellow Liberal Party member Janette Parker in 1971, with whom he had three children: Melanie (1974), Tim (1977) and Richard (1980). John and Janette are Christians . Howard joined the Liberal Party in 1957. He
18923-422: The upper-tier of Australian prime ministers by political experts and the general public. Howard is the fourth son of Mona ( née Kell) and Lyall Howard , who married in 1925. Howard was also known as "Jack" in his youth. His older brothers were Walter (1926–2019), Stanley (1930–2014) and Robert (b. 1936). Lyall Howard was an admirer of Winston Churchill . Howard's ancestors were English, Scottish, and Irish. He
19072-440: The views of Pauline Hanson —a disendorsed Liberal Party candidate and later independent MP from the Brisbane area—was criticised in the press as an endorsement of her views. When Hanson had made derogatory statements about minorities, Howard not only cancelled her Liberal endorsement, but declared she would not be allowed to sit as a Liberal if elected. Howard repudiated Hanson's views seven months after her maiden speech. Following
19221-400: The war. Throughout 2002 and 2003 Howard had increased his opinion poll lead over Labor Party leader, Simon Crean . In December 2003, Crean resigned after losing party support and Mark Latham was elected leader. Howard called an election for 9 October 2004 . While the government was behind Labor in the opinion polls, Howard himself had a large lead over Latham as preferred prime minister. In
19370-579: The win as a mandate for the GST, and in surprising and apparently impromptu remarks, he committed the government to reconciliation with Australia's indigenous peoples. Simultaneously with the federal election, a referendum on statehood was held in the Northern Territory , with the Howard government promising to grant statehood if it passed. The "No" vote won with 51.9 percent of the vote, a margin of just over 3,500 votes. Maxine McKew Maxine Margaret McKew AM (born 22 July 1953 )
19519-453: Was elected unopposed to replace him. The Coalition subsequently opened a large lead over Labor in most opinion polls, and Howard overtook Paul Keating as preferred prime minister. Hoping to avoid a repeat of mistakes made at the 1993 election, Howard revised his earlier statements against Medicare and Asian immigration, describing Australia as "a unique intersection between Europe, North America and Asia". This allowed Howard to campaign on
19668-807: Was elected deputy leader of the Liberal Party in April 1982. His election depended largely on the support of the "drys", and he became the party's champion of the growing free-market lobby. The economic crises of the early 1980s brought Howard into conflict with the Keynesian Fraser. As the economy headed towards the worst recession since the 1930s, Fraser pushed an expansionary fiscal position much to Howard's and Treasury's horror. With his authority as treasurer being flouted, Howard considered resigning in July 1982, but, after discussions with his wife and senior advisor John Hewson , he decided to "tough it out". The 1982 wages explosion—wages rose 16 per cent across
19817-530: Was a member of the party's New South Wales state executive and was federal president of the Young Liberals (the party youth organisation) from 1962 to 1964. 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". At the 1963 federal election , Howard acted as campaign manager for Tom Hughes in his local seat of Parkes . Hughes went on to defeat
19966-481: Was able to stop the Dubai training; the training was finished in Australia with the assistance of the National Farmers' Federation . At 11 pm 7 April 1998, Corrigan, with the assistance of security guards with dogs, sacked the union workforce of 1,400 across the country, and replaced it with the alternate non-union labour. John Howard described the action as "a fightback by the people of Australia against
20115-474: Was again in contention to gain preselection for the Division of Fowler, a safe Labor seat held by Julia Irwin who had supported Kim Beazley in the December leadership ballot. However the article also stated that a Labor source had suggested that a different seat was possible. On 25 February Rudd's office confirmed that McKew would run against Prime Minister John Howard in the Division of Bennelong at
20264-642: Was an award-winning broadcast journalist. She hosted a number of programs on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television and radio, most recently Lateline and The 7.30 Report . McKew was born and grew up in Brisbane , Queensland where her father, Bryan McKew, was a boilermaker. When McKew was five, her mother Elaine died, and McKew was sent to live with her grandparents for three years. McKew and her sister Margo moved to Moorooka to live with their father after he remarried; later attending All Hallows' School in Brisbane. McKew currently lives in
20413-560: Was challenging economic orthodoxies in place for most of the century. He came to favour tax reform including broad-based taxation (later the GST ), a freer industrial system including the dismantling of the centralised wage-fixing system, the abolition of compulsory trade unionism , privatisation and deregulation. In 1978, the Fraser government instigated the Campbell Committee to investigate financial system reforms. Howard supported
20562-471: Was credited with "breaking the circuit" of party morale—boosting his confidence and direction, which had appeared to wane early in the Government's second term. The 1998 election was dubbed a "referendum on the GST", and the tax changes—including the GST—were implemented in the government's second term after amendments to the legislation were negotiated with the Australian Democrats to ensure its passage through
20711-451: Was defeated at the 2010 federal election , losing the seat of Bennelong to John Alexander , her opponent from the Liberal Party . She suffered a swing against her of more than 5 per cent, remarking as she conceded defeat that Labor's national campaign 'left a lot to be desired'. McKew works for Social Ventures Australia, advising on education issues, and is a Vice Chancellor's Fellow at the University of Melbourne . In 2012, she wrote
20860-467: Was elected leader of the Liberal Party for the first time, thus replacing Andrew Peacock as Leader of the Opposition . He led the Liberal–National coalition to the 1987 federal election , but lost to Bob Hawke 's Labor government, and was removed from the leadership in 1989. Remaining a key figure in the party, Howard was re-elected leader in 1995, replacing Alexander Downer , and subsequently led
21009-405: Was enough for her to defeat Howard by 2.8 percentage points on the two-party vote. A few days earlier, on 29 November, Rudd announced that McKew would be one of his Parliamentary Secretaries when his ministry was sworn in on 3 December. In this role she had responsibility for early childhood education and child care. Less than a week after the official declaration of her victory, McKew launched
21158-467: Was honoured for her broadcasting work with a Logie award, and for her journalism by a Walkley Award . In October 2006 she announced that she was leaving the ABC saying "This is more than likely the end of my broadcasting career". From 1999 to 2004 she wrote Lunch with Maxine McKew , a column for The Bulletin , a weekly magazine, based on her interviews with prominent Australians. McKew frequently elicited newsworthy revelations from her subjects, and
21307-450: Was implemented with bipartisan support by the Commonwealth, States and Territories. The government stated that the previous Keating government had left them with an unexpected $ 7.6 billion "black hole" budget deficit. The new treasurer, Peter Costello , and Finance Minister, John Fahey worked at reducing Commonwealth expenditure. This involved reneging on a number of election commitments, which Howard defended as "non-core promises". At
21456-578: Was introduced in fulfilment of this pledge. The code required ministers to divest shares in portfolios that they oversaw and to be truthful in parliament. The code eventually led to seven cabinet ministers resigning following breach of the code. Jim Short and Brian Gibson both resigned in October 1996 as both held shares in companies that were within their ministerial portfolios. Bob Woods resigned in February 1997 over questionable ministerial expense claims. Geoff Prosser resigned in July 1997 following
21605-463: Was named by The Australian Financial Review as "one of the top ten exercisers of covert power in Australia". Following her election as the member for Bennelong in 2007, the Canberra Times had a photo of McKew in a Basic Instinct moment, referring to the scene where Sharon Stone was allegedly not wearing underwear. McKew was reported to have been a possible Labor candidate for
21754-486: Was not already an independent nation, but said that, while the Australian Constitution works "remarkably well", it was the institution of monarchy that was the crux of his argument for change: " The temper of the times is democratic; we are uncomfortable with an office that appoints people by hereditary. In our society in our time we prefer appointment by merit". The Convention reached "in principle" support for an Australian republic and examined three models for change. After
21903-570: Was not reappointed to the Second Howard Ministry. In early 1999, the government announced that ministers would no longer be required to divest themselves of shareholdings. On 23 December 1996, the High Court recognised the Wik people 's native titles rights, and that pastoral and mining leases would not extinguish native title as had been assumed after the 1992 Mabo decision and subsequent Native Title Act 1993 . Rather,
22052-403: Was resolute in his refusal to provide a parliamentary "apology" to Indigenous Australians as recommended by the 1997 " Bringing Them Home " Report. Howard made a personal apology before the release of the report. In 1999, Howard negotiated a " Motion of Reconciliation " with Aboriginal Senator Aden Ridgeway . Eschewing use of the word "sorry", the motion recognised mistreatment of Aborigines as
22201-683: Was still under way, McKew formally claimed victory in Bennelong, saying that she was "comfortably ahead" on the two-party vote. In her victory speech, McKew thanked Howard for his 30 years of service and could understand why he hadn't formally conceded, saying that "Mr. Howard and his family clearly had a huge amount to do this week." She said that her polling numbers indicated a uniform swing to Labor, with many people who had never voted Labor before crossing over to her. However, she said that many voters felt neglected by him in recent years. By most estimates Howard would have needed an improbable majority of
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