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The article focuses on the political success of Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Hillsong is said to be Australia's fastest-growing church. Pastor Brian Houston, who founded Hillsong, once wrote a book called "You Need More Money". It may be tempting to dismiss Hillsong as an extreme example of "prosperity Christianity" and ignore it, but Howard and his Liberals certainly have not. Australia's evangelical churches may be booming, but the country still embraces staunchly liberal values. The attention paid to Hillsong is a symptom of something much broader: Howard and his party have understood, and profited from, a big shift in Australian attitudes.

The article reports on the working of Australian government regarding to allow same-sex couples to marry. It mentions the working of Malcolm Turnbull, prime minister of Australia, with Australians that support gay marriage and states the working of Australian political party the Liberal Party for the same. It also mentions the Liberal government, led by John Howard had passed law on marriage.

The article discusses the victory of Kevin Rudd over the Liberal Party's John Howard to become Australia's Prime Minister. Howard had led the Liberal party to its worst rout in its 63-year history with his divisive approach to politics. Rudd handpicked his first ministry on November 29, 2007, not following the tradition that right and left party factions should be consulted first. The article also presents public opinions of Rudd and what he will have to face as prime minister.

The article discusses general elections in Australia. Incumbent prime minister John Howard was initially hesitant about seeking an unprecedented fifth term for his conservative coalition government. Howard's reticence may have led to the commanding lead that Labor Party head Kevin Rudd has in polls leading up to the November 24, 2007 election. The election may be swung in Queensland, where Howard's coalition holds a vast majority of parliament seats, but to which Rudd is a native.

The article reports on the 2007 federal election campaign in Australia, where Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd is mounting a serious challenge to the five-term conservative government of Prime Minister John Howard. Rudd, whose background in politics is discussed in some detail, has promised environmental reforms and a diversified energy policy.

The article reports on the decision by the government of Australian Prime Minister John Howard to take federal control of aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory in the wake of a report indicating rampant alcohol-induced violence and child sexual abuse in the settlements. The timing of the action is questioned, given the nearness of a national election and the fact that the aborigines' condition is not new.

The article profiles Kevin Rudd, the leader of Australia's Labor Party. Labor is ahead by 14 percentage points in the polls, and has a promising shot at breaking John Howard and the Conservative's 11-year hold on Australian politics. Rudd has been attempting to appease the unions while being more business-friendly than Labor politicians traditionally have been. While popular with the public, this attempt has failed to win him strong favor with business or labor.

The article focuses on the rise in popular use of the Australian flag in relation to national identity, an issue used by many previous political campaigns. John Howard, Australian prime minister seeking re-election, has cited the national identity as an ideal to revive in upcoming campaigns against chief political rival Kevin Rudd. A history of Australian national identity is also discussed.

The article reports on politics and wage reform in Australia. On June 7th, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) delivered what is likely to be its last ruling on the country's minimum wage. Under reforms planned by the conservative coalition government, led by John Howard, the commission's regulatory role is about to give way to a more market-driven system, which will also allow workers more power to negotiate their own wages with employers. The government's chief targets were a centrally determined method of fixing wages under the AIRC, and myriad federal and state "awards" for separate industries--everything from clerical workers to hairdressers--each containing a multitude of stipulations over working conditions. The Howard government went further by allowing individual employees to strike their own deals with bosses through Australian Workplace Agreements (AWA), before the Senate blocked more changes. The planned changes Mr Howard announced last month should go to parliament in August. They contain four key features designed to strengthen the power of employers to do their own pay deals, unburdened by regulation. The AIRC will lose its wage-fixing role to a new body called the Fair Pay Commission, which will be expected to base its decisions mainly on their overall economic impact.

John Howard, Australia's prime minister, is seeking a fourth term for his conservative coalition government. However, 43 of Australia's former defence and diplomatic chiefs have attacked him for what they described as his deception of the Australian people. Their charge, in a statement on August 8th, had to do with "false assumptions" behind Howard's commitment of Australian troops to the Iraq war--about 850 of them are still there. Howard's assertion last year that Australia had moved on from the Iraq war may turn out to have been wishful thinking. The murkiness surrounding Australia's involvement suggests the issue is likely to damage the government in the election campaign. The prime minister's credibility on Iraq and other issues has also brought pressure from a more unsettling front. John Valder, a former president of the conservative Liberal Party, which Howard leads, has launched a campaign to defeat Howard in his Sydney electorate of Bennelong. Valder is not standing himself, but is urging voters in the Liberal Party's heartland to support other Bennelong candidates.

This article considers a political blunder concerning Australia's Iraq policy on the part of opposition leader Mark Latham. With an election expected later this year, and the opposition Labor Party powerfully invigorated under Mark Latham, its latest leader, the prospects for John Howard winning a fourth term as prime minister have been looking a bit dim of late. Youthful and dynamic, and deftly able to steer the political agenda towards issues such as health and education, where Labor resonates strongly with voters, Mr Latham has opened up a commanding lead for the party over Mr Howard's conservative coalition since he took over the leadership just four months ago. Apparently emboldened by a sense that Australians wanted to put their military contribution to the war in Iraq behind them, Mr Latham said on March 23rd that, if Labor wins the election, he will bring the troops home by Christmas. There were echoes of the Spanish election on March 14th, soon after terrorist bombings in Madrid, and the pledge by Jos& eacute; Luis Rodr& iacute; guez Zapatero, the Spanish leader-elect, to withdraw Spain's troops from Iraq. Once Australia's responsibility was discharged after the handover to a sovereign authority in Iraq in July, he said, a Latham government would be hoping to have the troops back by Christmas: hardly revolutionary, given that Labor originally opposed the Howard government's despatch of troops to take part in the American-led invasion.

The article focuses on Mark Latham, leader of Australia's opposition Labor Party. Faced with an election by the end of 2004--and the prospect of Prime Minister John Howard winning a fourth term--Labor parliamentarians decided to ignore Mr Latham's colourful past and on December 2nd elected him to replace the lacklustre Simon Crean, whose public-approval ratings collapsed. Mr Latham is Labor's youngest leader in a century. Yet he also seems to be the party's best hope for overcoming the identity crisis that has plagued it since it lost power to Mr Howard's coalition almost eight years ago. Mr Latham is a champion of the market and individual enterprise and favours tax cuts for high earners. The job of government, he says, is "to help the people who are doing the right thing--the people who are getting stuck in, doing things the fair dinkum Australian way." He will push his ideas to make Australia an "upwardly mobile society", and boost health and education, where the Howard government is vulnerable. His biggest challenge will be to unite his party behind him before the election, whose timing is up to Mr Howard. The government coalition will try to exploit Mr Latham's inexperience and his inconsistencies on economic policy. But the new Labor leader is as formidable a communicator as Mr Howard, and every bit as adept at responding quickly to circumstances.

Reports on the victory of the conservative Liberal-National coalition in Australia, led by Prime Minister John Howard, in the November 10, 2001 election. Discussion of the outlook for Howard's third consecutive term as prime minister; Issue of his border security policy and economic management agenda; Outlook for the opposition Labor Party.

Focuses on the conservative coalition government led by John Howard in Australia. Importance of the budget to the re-election of Howard; Opposition from the Labor Party; Issue of tax reforms and surpluses.

Discusses the outlook for a referendum in Australia concerning the country's continued status as a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II of England as its head of state. Political problems facing Australian prime minister John Howard, including the political aspirations of his senior minister, Peter Costello; Howard's and Costello's differing opinions on the referendum; Discussion of the wording of the referendum; Howard's problems with the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, including the requirement that a head of state open the games.

Presents information on the efforts of Australian Prime Minister John Howard to have his proposed goods and services tax (GST) approved in Parliament. His calling of a general election in 1998; How the win reduced the Liberal party's majority in Parliament; How the GST shifts taxation in Australia; The difficulty that the government will have in getting the tax bills through the Senate.

Announces that John Howard was re-elected to the position of Prime Minister of Australia in 1998. Defeat of Pauline Hanson's One Nation party; Problems facing Howard; Economic views of Howard; Howard's proposed reforms of Australia's taxation system.

Comments on the re-election of John Howard to the position of prime minister in Australia in October of 1998. Howard's proposed tax on goods and services; Defeat of Pauline Hanson's One Nation party; Problems with Australia's taxation system.

Reports on the political situation in Australia. General election called for October 3, 1998 by Prime Minister John Howard; Polls indicating an edge for the Labor Party of Kim Beazley over Howard's Liberal-National parties; Howard staking his re-election on tax reform; Waning popularity of Pauline Hanson and her One Nation party.

Focuses on the general election in Australia on October 3, 1998. Election called for by Prime Minister John Howard; Impact of Pauline Hanson and her One Nation party; Hanson calling for economic protectionism; closing the doors to immigration, and an end to benefits for aborigines; Political victories of One Party; Fall in Howard's popularity; Reasons for Hanson's popularity in Australia; Conflict between farmers and aborigines concerning land.

Looks at politics in Australia as of July 18, 1998. Plans of prime minister John Howard for an early general election; Opposition from One Nation, a racially divisive party led by Pauline Hanson; Political successes of One Nation; Campaigning of Hanson; Where Hanson draws her support; Pressure from One Nation to push a bill through Parliament that restricts aborigines rights to traditional land; Failure of Howard's plan for the government to sell it shares in Telstra, Australia's main telecoms company; Popularity of One Nation.

The article examines Australia's immigration policies relating to refugees seeking political asylum. A disaster involving a boat used by refugees from Afghanistan has revived attention to this issue. The government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has ended some of the restrictive policies of his predecessor Kevin Howard. It is unclear if this change has increased or decreased the number of asylum-seekers.

The article discusses the policies and plans being launched by Australia's new prime minister, Kevin Rudd, who was elected in a resounding victory in November 2007. The article explains that Rudd is looking to reverse many of the policies implemented by his predecessor, John Howard. Because of Australia's lagging economy, the article notes that it may be difficult for Rudd to make his campaign promises of putting more money into health and education, and to phase in tax cuts worth $28 billion.

The article discusses the general elections to be held in Australia on November 24, 2007, and the prospects for Prime Minister John Howard, who has held power for 11 years but trails in opinion polls. Howard's main political opponent is Maxine McKew, a former television journalist, of the Labor Party. Australia's economic conditions and unemployment are discussed.

The article discusses the competition for Australia's premiership. Incumbent prime minister John Howard is seeking a fifth term for his conservative government, but opinion polls show that he is far behind the opposition Labor Party, and Labor's prime minister candidate, Kevin Rudd. Howard's slipping popularity may be tied to his support of U.S. President George W. Bush and the U.S. effort in Iraq. The article also discusses Howard's hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation forum.

The article discusses Australia's uranium mining industry. The author reports on the lifting of a ban on the sale of uranium to India by Australian prime minister John Howard. The author also discusses the history of government policy concerning uranium sales, the divisions among Australians on whether to mine the uranium, and the delicate nature of Australia's relationship with India over uranium.

This article reports on political developments in Australia, where the case of accused terrorist David Hicks may have important ramifications for Prime Minister John Howard. Hicks has been held in Guantanamo Bay at the American naval base for five years. He is a symbol for many people of Howard's close ties to U.S. President George W. Bush.

The article reports that Australian Prime Minister John Howard is hoping to lead his party to a fifth electoral victory. His announcement was met with cheers from his Liberal Party, but supporters have been made nervous by increasing interest rates and a press report that Howard promised to hand party leadership over to his treasurer Peter Costello after one-and-a-half terms.

The article focuses on Australian politics and Prime Minister John Howard. His electoral popularity has climbed to the point where he has never seemed more in control nor, at the age of 66, more determined to plough on. Mr Howard brushes aside questions about retirement by insisting that he will stay as long as his conservative Liberal Party wants him. This means that he is likely to contest a fifth election, due in late 2007. And another win would put him in sight of equalling the achievement of Sir Robert Menzies, Australia's longest-serving prime minister (a total of 18 years), the Liberal Party's founder and Mr Howard's hero.

The article looks at how anti-immigration sentiment are creating a humanitarian controversy in Australia. "Mandatory detention" for illegal immigrants has been a cornerstone of Austrailian President John Howard's policies since 2001. In that year he won a third-term election after sending soldiers to turn away nearly four-hundred Afghan asylum seekers, rescued off Australia by a Norwegian cargo ship. Improbably, change in Australian immigration law has begun to be forced by a group of rebel parliamentarians in Howard's conservative Liberal Party. They had visited Australia's six immigrant detention-centres and were shocked by what they saw. One of them, Petro Georgiou, threatened to introduce legislation to reform the system. It would have had the support of the opposition Labor Party. In response, Howard has cobbled together a deal allowing the government to introduce its own law on June 21, 2005 that meets most of the rebels' demands.

The article reports that Kim Beazley, who led Labor from 1996 to 2001, was left as the only candidate for the job after two rival contenders, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, announced their withdrawal. Both conceded they had been unable to muster sufficient support among their parliamentary colleagues to challenge Beazley. Barring any unforeseen problems, the path was cleared for Beazley to resume the Labor leadership at one of the lowest points in the party's 114-year history. Labor is still reeling from the shock of its fourth successive defeat last October by the conservative coalition government led by John Howard. On January 18th, a second shock followed when Mark Latham, who had led Labor for only 13 months, resigned as leader and from parliament. A tough year lies ahead. In July, the government will take control for the first time of the Senate, giving it what Beazley called "a position of absolutely unprecedented power".

Focuses on Mark Latham, leader of Australia's opposition Labor Party, who resigned abruptly on January 18th. View that Labor seems as far from regaining power as at any time since losing to the conservative coalition, led by John Howard, almost nine years ago; Latham's silence following the Indian Ocean tsunami and his announcement he was quitting the leadership and his parliamentary seat of Werriwa in Sydney; Observations on Latham's leadership; Possibility that the Labor Party may turn once again to Kim Beazley, a deputy prime minister in the last Labor government.

The article examines relations between Indonesia and Australia. Australia's swift and generous response to Indonesia's plight after the Indian Ocean tsunami suggests Prime Minister John Howard is seeking to improve what is probably Australia's most critical local relationship. So far the signs are good. When Howard met Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesia's president, in Jakarta, he promised $760 million to Indonesia. It was the biggest aid package in Australia's history. Australia has sent almost 1,000 troops and army engineers to the shattered province of Aceh. This could cause problems once their humanitarian operation is up and running. The presence of an Australian military contingent, even an unarmed one such as this, in a province where rebels have been fighting for almost 30 years, is bound to remind some Indonesians of tensions that have marred relations in the past. For all that, relations between the two countries may be better than they look.

The article focuses on Mark Latham, who led Australia's opposition Labor Party to its fourth successive election defeat. As Latham faced the task of rebuilding Labor, no fewer than six of his senior parliamentary colleagues announced that they were no longer prepared to serve in his shadow cabinet. Some senior people, such as the shadow finance minister, Bob McMullan, withdrew to the parliamentary backbench after bitter arguments with Latham over the election loss. As Latham tried to assemble a new shadow cabinet, Labor's power struggles between its left and right factions erupted, at one point almost stripping him of authority. Finally, as John Howard, leader of the conservative coalition government was being sworn in for his fourth term as prime minister, Latham announced his new team. Most attention focused on Wayne Swan and Stephen Smith, both from the right, who will handle the crucial issues of economic policy and industrial relations. Latham has indicated that he will start by trying to recapture Labor's credentials on economic policy.

Three years ago, Prime Minister John Howard ordered armed troops to ward off the Tampa, a Norwegian cargo vessel that had rescued Afghan asylum-seekers from the sea off western Australia. He declared that none would set foot in Australia and consigned them to high-security camps on the islands of Nauru and Papua New Guinea. The Tampa affair, followed by the terrorist attacks on America in September 2001, helped Howard win his third election a few months later. A report in May by Australia's human-rights and equal-opportunities commission concluded that Australia's treatment of child detainees had breached its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The government recently released all bar one boat child from mainland detention camps, though 19 remain on Nauru. The strongest reason for the policy change has probably been the discovery that asylum-seekers can be good for the economy. Many of those with temporary visas have found jobs as fruit pickers and slaughterhouse workers, helping to keep several towns alive.

John Howard, Australia's prime minister, boasts that he set out to "rebalance" Australia's foreign policy when he came to power from what he saw as too much focus on Asia and not enough on Australia's most powerful ally, the United States. Having U.S. President George W. Bush, a like-minded conservative, as president helped. The two men are as close as any Australian and U.S. leaders have been. Both face elections later in 2004; both have been struggling in opinion polls. But even some of Howard's closest supporters raised an eyebrow when Bush launched a stinging public broadside against Mark Latham, leader of Australia's opposition Labor Party, over his plan to withdraw Australian troops from Iraq by the end of 2004. Howard accuses his opponent of "cutting and running", and insists Australian troops should stay in Iraq. With events turning sour in Iraq, Howard would probably have preferred to fight the election on other issues. But following Bush's intervention, he has signaled that he intends to try to turn Iraq to his favor by painting Latham as a threat to Australia's security under the U.S. alliance.

Reports on political elections in Australia. Policies of Australian Prime Minister John Howard of the Liberal-National coalition; Goods-and-services tax passed by Howard; Howard's views towards refugees seeking asylum in Australia; The effect of xenophobia and racism on politics in Australia.

Reports on the efforts of John Howard to ensure his reelection as Australia's prime minister. Background of an incident of refugees aboard a Norwegian freighter, the Tampa, which was refused entry to Australia; How the group was directed to Nauru and New Zealand where their applications for asylum were to be processed; Concern about the number of refugees arriving by boat in Australia; Indication of support for Howard and the Liberal Party for refusing to allow the 'human cargo' brought by smugglers to land in Australia.

Discusses results of a November 6, 1999 Australian referendum on continuation of a constitutional link with Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth. Public support for a republic; Implications for monarchist Prime Minister John Howard; Disagreement in his Liberal Party; Disagreement among traditional party supporters.

Discusses the passage of a Parliamentary motion in Australia, which attempted reconciliation with Australian aborigines. How the Australian government used the practice of assimilation, removing aboriginal children from their families to white foster homes; Report on the practice describing it as genocide; Australian Prime Minister John Howard's refusal to officially apologize to the aborigines; Public opinion on the refusal; Passage of the motion as political compromise.