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John Howard

February

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

‘Prosperity first’ to get us out of economic stagnation

Whoever wins the next election, if a decision comes before you, employ one criterion: will this make Australia more or less prosperous?

January

Governor Bullock was at the forefront of the RBA “experiment” with a cautious approach (relative to the rest of the developed world) in raising the policy rate.

CPI pushes the rate cut door wide open

RBA is overachieving on inflation and should “break on through to the other side” to reduce the policy rate in February.

Senator Jane Hume in Melbourne on Friday.

Opposition savings from housing, green energy funds in doubt

Senator Jane Hume says the Coalition will interrogate Labor’s billions of dollars tied up in funds for housing, clean energy and manufacturing, but admits they may be difficult to unwind.

The stabilisation of Australia-Sino ties has been a welcome achievement of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

How independent can government-funded think tanks be?

The only real solution for Australia’s think tank dilemma is to seek private funding to promote good policy ideas

Fiscally reckless vote buying spending exercises that risk  delaying the arrival of pre-election rate relief.

Labor’s over the election barrel on Bruce Highway

It is fiscal integrity, more than political integrity, that is the concern as Labor embarks on what could be the start of an election spending spree.

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Government advertising sepend jump 40 per cent at a time when the budget is deteriorating into bigger than previously forecast deficits across the next four years.

End the age of entitlement to taxpayer-funded political ads

Australia needs to get on top of the entitlement mentality to get the budget back in shape. A good place to start would be to stop paying for political ads out of the budget.

CSL Behring’s blood plasma business should underpin a rise in its share price.

The pressure tactics that turned CSL from ‘minnow’ to powerhouse

Previously unreported documents show US trade negotiators tried to bust CSL’s Australian monopoly. Brian McNamee says it spurred the company to global success.

Kerry Stokes.

Transparency lacking in WA media and politics

Readers’ letters on conflicts of interest between Seven West Media and Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas, the Howard government bugging East Timor, the alienation of young men and ADHD treatments.

Howard backs free trade and fossil fuels in Trump era

Trade experts doubt a 20-year free trade agreement between Australia and the US will influence Donald Trump’s decision on tariffs.

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Howard defends bugging; 5 explorers ride gold boom; Russia out of gas

Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.

John Howard in 1998.

East Timor bugging ‘in national interest’: Howard

The former prime minister has reflected on controversy and success at an event marking the release of cabinet documents from 2004.

December 2024

Kevin Andrews’ funeral.

Political figures turn out for Kevin Andrews’ state funeral

Former prime minister Tony Abbott read the eulogy for the long-tim conservative Liberal MP at a service attended by politicians from both sides.

Anthony Albanese has a hat but does he have a rabbit?

For a government elected almost three years ago, the decline in Labor’s fortunes has been steep, and proportional to cost-of-living pressures that have driven out incumbents around the globe.

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson arrives to speak at the event in Sydney on Friday.

Boris Johnson’s mispriced Australian tour fizzles out

The former UK prime minister is no longer hot property on the corporate speaking circuit.

November 2024

The late Tom Hughes, QC, in his Sydney chambers in April 2008.

Vale Tom Hughes: Distinguished last cab off the rank

A giant of Australian law, reforming attorney-general and a powerful behind-the-scenes figure, Tom Hughes leaves behind a remarkable legacy.

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October 2024

Peter Dutton and Gina Rinehart at the party in the Pilbara.

Gina Rinehart buys Peter Dutton’s table for Perth party

The list of things the opposition leader has to be thankful for Rinehart keeps getting longer.

Jordan Peterson.

Bennelong restaurant preps for Jordan Peterson and ex-prime ministers

Dining with the popular online conservative sends a signal about the current state of Liberal party ideas.

Britain's King Charles wears the Imperial State Crown and Queen Camilla wears the Diamond Diadem during a ceremony on the day of the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. (Hannah McKay/Pool Photo via AP)

A future republic has to be for every Australian

A republic cannot just be about severing ties with Britain. It has to be about unifying Australia too.

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Anthony Albanese has yet to grow into the prime minister’s job

The prime minister is a political operator rather than a visionary. His inability to persuade and sustain arguments is beginning to show.

US President Joe Biden pauses during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Israel on Wednesday, October 18 in 2023.

Beware the unintended consequences of Middle East escalation

As tensions between Washington and Tel Aviv flare again, the broader geopolitical consequences of the crisis remain difficult to discern.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/person/john-winston-howard-3sr