This article explores John Howard's 2004 election victory, highlighting its significance as a fourth consecutive term and the factors that contributed to both its success and the eventual downfall of the Coalition in the 2007 election.
It remains one of federal politics’ most remarkable achievements. With more than eight years as prime minister under his belt, up against a feisty Labor leader and signs that the war in Iraq was not quite “mission accomplished”, John Howard claimed victory at the October 9, 2004 election. It gave Howard a fourth consecutive election, a feat no prime minister, bar Robert Menzies and Bob Hawke, had accomplished.
It was his second victory in a row, at which the Coalition’s standing in the House of Representatives had improved. He also claimed the first Senate majority since the 1970s. “This nation, by reason of the circumstances of history and by reason of its great capacity and the great capacity and dedication of the Australian people, stands on the threshold of a new era of great achievement,” he declared on election night. John Howard on one of his election campaign morning walks in 2004. The victory was perhaps the high point in his entire term.But in victory, and the months leading up to it, the seeds of the Coalition disaster that would be the 2007 election were sown. And problems – from the cost of Australian housing to the situation in Afghanistan to the state of the budget – also took root as Howard’s cabinet watched on. The cabinet papers of 2004, released on Wednesday by the National Archives, reveal the decision-making processes of Howard, his treasurer, Peter Costello, foreign minister Alexander Downer, and then-Nationals leader John Anderson. They include 242 documents with thousands of pages. While the importance of some issues has been long forgotten – a 37-page submission on the future of Comcover’s reinsurance program was obscure even in 2004 – others resonate today, especially given what has transpired in Australian politics over the past two decade
JOHN HOWARD ELECTION COALITION AUSTRALIA POLITICS
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