John Howard

John Howard was Prime Minister of Australia and leader of the conservative Liberal Party of Australia from 1996 until 2007. He was first elected as Prime Minister in March 1996, and re-elected in 1998, 2001 and 2004.

Howard's successful re-election campaign in 2001 was noted for his demonisation of refugees and deceptive claims about an incident where the Australian Navy rescued asylum seekers from a sinking boat. His misleading claims fuelled a campaign - with the backing of some of his former supporters - to vote him out of office at the October 9, 2004 election in order to restore 'honesty in government'. Despite the campaign, Howard was comfortably re-elected increasing the Liberal Party's majority in the House of Representatives and gaining a majority in the Senate.

Howard 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 to lose his own seat.

Climate Change "Dirty Dozen"
In a talk given in Australia on 20 February 2006, Clive Hamiliton (director of The Australia Institute) identifies John Howard as one of Australia's climate change "dirty dozen" (these include: Hugh Morgan, John Eyles, Ron Knapp, Alan Oxley, Peter Walsh, Meg McDonald, Barry Jones, Chris Mitchell, Ian MacFarlane, Alan Moran, Malcolm Broomhead, and John Howard):
 * "The Prime Minister has consistently taken the side of the fossil fuel lobby and dismissed the interests of other industries. He has challenged the science, stomped on cabinet members who nervously suggest that maybe we should try to reduce our emissions, and engaged in an elaborate charade of concern by putting up meaningless policies that have no effect. His door is always open to the bosses of big fossil fuel corporations and closed to those representing renewables (except his ethanol-producing mate Dick Honan)."

On May 17, 2006, signaling a new phase in the uranium debate, John Howard has suggested the Government could issue a white paper outlining the nuclear options for Australia. 

Case studies

 * Children Overboard
 * John Howard's Nuclear Debate
 * Prime Ministerial Task Group on Emissions Trading

Books

 * Not Happy John - the book

Websites of Groups Campaigning Against Howard

 * Defeat John Howard

Other SourceWatch Resources

 * Australian Government Advertising Campaigns