Australia: Electoral defeat for Prime Minister Howard - timeline
Searching more than 75 years of world history
Timeline
- November 2007. The Australian Labor Party (ALP), led by Kevin Rudd, sweeps into power in a federal legislative election, thereby ending 11 years of conservative government in Australia.
- October 2007. Prime Minister John Howard calls federal legislative elections, seeking a fifth term in office.
- September 2007. Howard reveals that if his Liberal-National coalition wins another general election, he will not serve a further full three-year term as prime minister.
- August 2007. Rudd admits that he visited a strip club in New York, USA, in 2003 whilst he was serving as a diplomat at the UN, describing the incident as a "foolish mistake".
- July 2007. Howard denies that the need to secure oil supplies is a factor in the government's continued deployment of military forces in Iraq, following a statement to the contrary by Defence Minister Brendan Nelson.
- March 2007. Howard announces the establishment of a Global Initiative on Forests and Climate, claiming that the initiative will more effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions than the Kyoto Protocol.
- January 2007. Howard announces a cabinet reshuffle that is seen as a response to a growing challenge from the opposition ALP, which under its recently elected leader, Kevin Rudd, has increased its lead in opinion polls to 10 percentage points.
- December 2006. ALP legislators elect Rudd, 49, as leader of the party with 49 votes against 39 for the incumbent Kim Beazley, who had called the election in response to growing criticism of his leadership from within the party ranks.
- November 2006. An environmental initiative proposed by Howard is criticised as being too vague. The high court rules that the federal government's industrial relations laws, which overrode regulations passed by states, are constitutionally valid.
- October 2006. Howard announces that the government will invest some A$500 million in clean energy-generating technology to combat global warming.
- March 2006. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice publicly thanks Australia for being a "steadfast friend" in the "war on terrorism", but differences with the Australian government over China emerge at a press conference.
- February 2006. Three former scientists of the government-funded Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) say that in different ways the government has tried to censor them on the subject of climate change when they were critical of government policy.
- February 2005. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) enters into force, 90 days after its ratification by Russia.
- January 2005. Rudd withdraws from the ALP leadership contest, allowing former leader Beazley, 57, to be endorsed as the new party leader.
- October 2004. In a general election, the ruling Liberal-National coalition wins decisive majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate (the lower and upper houses, respectively, of Parliament, the bicameral federal legislature), giving Howard a fourth term in government.
- January 2003. ALP foreign affairs spokesman Rudd says that Howard is behaving irresponsibly and "jumping the gun" by sending troops to Iraq before UN weapons inspectors have completed their work, accusing Howard of being "grossly out of step with the Australian people".
- March 2002. A five-year survey funded by the federal government concludes that greenhouse gas emissions in Australia have risen by nearly 16.9 per cent between 1990 and 1998.
- November 2001. In federal legislative elections, Howard secures a third term as prime minister.
- October 1998. In a general election, the ruling Liberal-National coalition government led by Howard is returned to office with a much reduced majority.
- December 1997. Delegates from 159 countries meet in Kyoto, Japan, at the third conference of the parties to the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
- March 1996. In a general election, the ALP is defeated after 13 years in government and is replaced by a Liberal-National coalition government under Liberal leader Howard.
- January 1995. Howard is elected as leader of the opposition Liberal Party.
- February 1990. An opinion poll suggests that Liberal Party and official opposition leader Andrew Peacock has been overtaken in popularity by Howard.
- May 1989. Liberal Party leader Howard is voted out of office and replaced by Peacock.
- June 1988. Howard calls for a reduction in the number of Asian immigrants in Australia.
- September 1985. Howard replaces Peacock as Liberal Party leader.
- March 1983. Howard is defeated in a Liberal Party leadership contest but retains the post of deputy party leader.
- April 1982. Howard becomes the deputy leader of the Liberal Party.
- November 1980. In a reshuffle, Howard is appointed as treasurer in Prime Minster Malcolm Fraser’s cabinet.
- July 1977. Howard is sworn in as minister for special trade negotiations with the European Economic Community (EEC).
- December 1975. Howard enters government, appointed to Fraser’s cabinet as business and consumer affairs minister.
