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Description
Shadow Dancing Towards the 2007 Election
The election year began with Prime Minister John Howard facing the new Opposition leader, Kevin Rudd. Two developments were immediately apparent: as a younger fresher face Rudd played up his novelty value and quickly won public support; whereas Howard did not know how to handle his new "conservative" adversary. Rudd adopted the tactic of constantly calling himself the "alternative prime minister" while making national announcements and issuing invitations for summits as if he were running the government. He promised to reform federal-state relations, to work collaboratively with the states on matters such as health care, to invest in an "education revolution", provide universal access to early childhood education, and to fast-track high-speed broadbanding at a cost of $4.7 billion.
Rudd also began to stalk and shadow the prime minister around the country--a PM "Doppelganger"--appearing in the same cities or at the same venues often on the same day (even going to the Sydney cricket test match together). Should his office receive word of the prime minister's intended movements or scheduled policy announcements, Rudd would often appear at the location first or make upstaging announcements to take the wind from the PM's sails. Politics was a tactical game like chess and Rudd wanted to be seen taking the initiative. He claimed he thought "it will be fun to play with his [John Howard's] mind for a while" (Weekend Australian Magazine, 10-11 February 2007).
Although voters still thought the Coalition most likely to win the next election (by a margin of 42-39 per cent--see The Australian, 5 January 2007 or at odds of $1.80 to $1.90 at Centrebet), Howard was initially perplexed by this behaviour. He found it hard to pigeon-hole Rudd or to mount an attack on him that resonated with the public. He gradually responded by matching the Opposition's policy announcements.
Howard's political judgement also went a little awry. Returning in his VIP plane from the East Asia Summit in The Philippines, the prime minister and his wife (still officially on holiday) diverted the plane to take a few days' stopover in Broome. Predictable criticism of the sojourn was quick to materialise with both the Opposition and the media claiming the side-trip was funded at taxpayers' expense. The Howards then agreed to repay the costs of two commercial flights. Although the prime minister's office regarded the attack as a political smear campaign, the lapse indicated that the PM's usual astuteness had momentarily departed him.
Restyling the Ministry--the Annual Facelift
Immediately after returning from his annual holidays in late January, John Howard again tinkered with his ministry. He sacked two ministers: Senator Amanda Vanstone and Gary Hardgrave, demoted John Cobb, and secured the ministerial resignations of Senators Rod Kemp and Sandy Macdonald. Cabinet was expanded by one to eighteen with the inclusion of the Human Services portfolio (but now had only two women members). Howard moved Kevin Andrews sideways to the Immigration ministry (minus multiculturalism that disappeared in the reshuffle) and replaced him with Costello-supporter Joe Hockey in the controversial workplace relations portfolio. Ian Campbell was given the ministry of Human Services and kept in cabinet. The ambitious Malcolm Tumbull was also promoted straight to cabinet from the ranks of parliamentary secretary--as Minister for the Environment and Water. Andrew Robb was also made a full minister--in the Vocational and Technical Education portfolio --but appointed to the outer ministry. Senator George Brandis and Nigel Scullion were both promoted to the outer ministry--as the Arts and Sports Minister and Minister for Community Services respectively. Peter Lindsay and Tony Smith became new parliamentary secretaries. Howard also created the new title of "assistant minister" for Christopher Pyne (to buy him off) and John Cobb (as a way of allowing the Nationals to save face). Four Costello supporters were promoted in the changes, suggesting Howard finally had to accommodate their ambitions. In a footnote to pretentiousness, the Queenslander George Brandis had himself appointed senior counsel by the Queensland bar despite not practising law since he entered parliament in 2000.
The reshuffle... |
More articles from The Australian Journal of Politics and History
New South Wales: January to June 2007.(Political Chronicles)(Chronolog..., December 01, 2007
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