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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 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 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 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 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".