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SoundBites
January 2002
February 2002
- Feb 12: The storm was about to break, but on this day, the Governor-General, Peter Hollingworth, gave his first speech opening the Federal Parliament.
- Feb 13: Following the elections, the South Australian House of Assembly was hung. In a decision that outraged the Liberals, Peter Lewis, the independent member for Hammond, announced that he would be supporting the ALP, giving it a majority and the ability to form government. Lewis was formerly a Liberal MP.
- Children Overboard
- Governor-General Hollingworth Under Attack
March 2002
April 2002
May 2002
- May 03: Mark Latham comments on the Liberal Party and Tony Staley, and calls on the Labor Party to "muscle up"
- May 06: Peter Costello comments on privatising Telstra, in the light of calls by Mark Latham for promoting share ownership amongst Australians
- May 06: Paul Keating comments on leadership at the launch of Don Watson's book Confessions of a Bleeding Heart.
- May 07: Alexander Downer talks about Australia's reputation in the world and criticises Simon Crean's attitude to the American alliance.
- May 10: As speculation about the Liberal Party leadership swirled this week, following a series of articles in rival publications touting the views of the Howard and Costello camps, the two men danced warily around the media. Howard talked of the old song On a clear day, and later commented on the public's attitude to their leaders. Meanwhile, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Alexander Downer, was defending Howard, whilst the Opposition Leader, Simon Crean was needling Costello about a possible challenge.
- May 13: In the leadup to the Budget, Peter Costello talks about how hard he works and the Shadow Treasurer, Bob McMullan muses on the viability of a Costello prime ministership.
- May 14: Peter Costello's Federal Budget Speech to the House of Representatives
- May 16: Simon Crean's Speech in Response to the Budget
- May 17: Controversy raged in the United States about reports that the White House had intelligence warnings of possible hijackings prior to September 11. President George Bush indignantly asserted his lack of knowledge and was supported by Vice-President Dick Cheney, whilst down the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, Senator Hillary Clinton was asking questions about just what the President knew and when he knew it.
- May 22: On his second visit to China, John Howard discussed the nature of Australia's bilateral relationship with China.
- May 22: Bob McMullan, the ALP's Shadow Treasurer, addressed the National Press Club on the Federal Budget, describing it as pedestrian and unimaginative.
- May 27: The House of Representatives paid tribute to the late Sir John Gorton, Prime Minister from 1968 until 1971, who died on May 19. The condolence motion was moved by
John Howard and seconded by Simon Crean. The Deputy Prime Minister, John Anderson, also spoke, as did the Deputy Opposition Leader, Jenny Macklin, the Immigration Minister, Phillip Ruddock, and the Shadow Treasurer, Bob McMullan.
- May 27: Pauline Hanson and David Ettridge were committed for trial on electoral fraud charges relating to the registration of One Nation in 1997. Hanson protested her innoncence and called on the public to attend the trial and judge for themselves.
- May 29: Don Watson, former speechwriter for Paul Keating, addressed the National Press Club about his book on his experiences with the former Prime Minister, Recollections Of A Bleeding Heart.
June 2002
- Jun 03: The month began with Archbishop George Pell's press conference at which he defended himself against charges of covering up sex abuse allegations.
- Jun 06: President George Bush, speaking on national television, proposed the establishment of a new Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security.
- Jun 09: In 1955, a sixteen-year-old John Howard appeared on a popular radio quiz show compered by Jack Davey. Demonstrating a cheeky sense of humour and a vivid imagination when he didn't know the answer, Howard walked away with a mountain of soap, the only prize awarded to contestents at that time.
- Jun 12: Visiting Washington to be elevated to the position of Chairman of the International Democratic Union, John Howard delivered an effusive speech to a Joint Sitting of the US Congress, attended by 35 of the 535 members of the two chambers.
- Jun 13: Text and Audio Of Howard And President Bush At the White House
- Jun 17: Perhaps unaware of the old adage that if you can remember the 60s you weren't there, the Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the National Party, John Anderson, has delivered a critique of the 1960s to a conference of his party, decrying the loss of traditional family values.
- Jun 19: "Dirty" Simon Crean called on John Howard to "make my day" over speculation about a double dissolution election.
- Jun 20: Following an intense debate between moderates and conservatives in the coalition parties, the Prime Minister, John Howard, announced the government's support for the establishment of the International Criminal Court.
- Jun 25: Arriving at Parliament House, Senator Natasha Stott Despoja, leader of the Australian Democrats, commented on the leaked letter from Meg Lees.
- Jun 25: In response to a question in the House of Representatives, Alexander Downer responded to President Bush's statement on the Middle East.
- Jun 26: Mark Latham was the subject of pious hypocrisy in the House of Representatives over comments he made describing John Howard as an "arse-licker". The attack on Latham was led by Tony Abbott, with some help from Howard.
- Jun 27: As Parliament recessed for the winter break, John Howard lauded his government's attitude to Question Time in the House of Representatives.
July 2002
- Jul 01 - The month started with the Minister for Workplace Relations, Tony Abbott, saying that a bad boss is better than no boss and comparing bad bosses to bad fathers. Oops! He later "clarified" his comments.
- Jul 01 - Cheryl Kernot launched her new book, Speaking For Myself Again, and said that she still had a Labor heart. She also talked about what went wrong after her defection from the Australian Democrats to the ALP in October 1997.
- Jul 02 - Meanwhile, John Howard had jetted off to Europe for a two-week trip that some observers saw as a lap of honour before retiring in 2003. I remain unconvinced! In Germany, he was questioned about his policies on immgration and asylum seekers and about refugees in general. Another issue on his trip was the question of European Union agricultural subsidies.
- Jul 03 - Back in Australia, the SIEVX affair kept humming along as retiring Chief of the Navy, Admiral Chris Barrie, lashed out at suggestions the Navy had allowed people to die.
- Jul 03 - Laurie Oakes revealed that Cheryl Kernot and Gareth Evans had once had an affair and the media went into an orgy of hand-wringing about the ethics of publishing details of private lives, although, as Barry Cassidy pointed out, they still managed to meet their deadlines. In London, the Opposition Leader, Simon Crean, kicked the story along by demanding that Evans and Kernot explain themselves.
- Jul 04 - In Europe, John Howard refused to comment on the Kernot-Evans affair, as did Natasha Stott Despoja, who also worried about the effect it would have on women's involvement in politics.
- Jul 05 - The National Party leader, John Anderson, said he would resign if his party didn't lift its performance in the next election, a risky comment for a party that keeps losing parliamentary members. Anderson commented on the party and on the proposed sales of Telstra.
- Jul 06 - Back in Europe, John Howard met with the Pope and discussed kangaroo meat.
- Jul 09 - In the aftermath of corporate fiascos such as the Enron and WorldCom collapses, President Bush delivered a speech on corporate responsibility. Its impact was lessened by allegations about his own corporate activities.
- Jul 09 - Still in Italy, John Howard was hugged by Silvio Berlusconi, the owner of the second largest media conglomerate in Europe and the richest man in Italy. In his spare time, and when he's not being prosecuted by corporate regulators, Berlusconi plays at being Prime Minister.
- Jul 10 - It took a week, but Kim Beazley finally got around to commenting on Cheryl Kernot and Gareth Evans, pointing out that if they'd known about the relationship it is unlikely she would have been encouraged to switch parties.
- Jul 10 - On the last day of his European trip, John Howard attended a ceremony at the Menin Gate where the names of thousands of dead Australian soldiers are inscribed on the walls. He spoke of "the terrible battles of 1917" in a speech at Ypres Town Hall.
- Jul 12 - Addressing the Western Australian Fabian Society, Mark Latham delivered a call for the ALP to 'modernise'. During the course of the speech, he described Liberal Party branch meetings as 'blue rinse bitch sessions' and delivered a critique of Peter Costello.
- Jul 16 - As the Tasmanian State election drew to a close, the hapless Liberal leader, Bob Cheek, delivered what turned out to be a prophetic statement about Tasmania remaining with Labor. Unfortunately, Cheek made his gaffe in the presence of John Howard.
- July 20 - A landslide victory to the ALP in the Tasmanian election saw the Greens increase their vote and the Liberals decimated. The Opposition Leader, Bob Cheek, conceded defeat, describing the result as a "debacle" and a "disaster" for his party. The Premier, Jim Bacon, claimed victory for the second time, ensuring his government will remain in office for at least eight years.
September 2002
- Sep 11 - On the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the US, President George W. Bush addressed the nation from Ellis Island, New York.
- Sep 12 - The former Democratic Governor of Texas, Ann Richards, defeated by George W. Bush in 1994, appeared on Larry King Live and made some damning comments about the Bush Administration's approach to a possible war with Iraq.
- Sep 12 - Following an announcement by John Howard that the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, would make a statement to Parliament, prior to a full parliamentary debate, the Opposition Leader, Simon Crean, commented on the government's handling of the issue.
- Sep 17 - The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, delivered a parliamentary statement on Iraq. The Leader of the Opposition, Simon Crean, responded to the statement, as divisions within the ALP intensified over the issue.
- Sep 24 - As talk of war aimed at achieving "regime change" in Iraq continued, and as pressure intensified on the United Nations Security Council to issue an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein, the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, addressed the House of Commons on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. There were responses from the Conservative Party leader, Iain Duncan-Smith and the Liberal-Democrats leader, Charles Kennedy. Shortly afterwards, John Howard, on another London trip, met with Blair and then spoke to the media outside 10 Downing Street.
- Sep 25 - The Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Rod Kemp, addressed the National Press Club and discussed the funding and organisation of sport in Australia.
- Sep 25 - Following the Federal Government's termination of Allan Hawke as Secretary of the Defence Department, the Opposition Leader, Simon Crean, directed a question in the House of Representatives to the Acting Prime Minister, John Anderson.
October 2002
- Senator Robert C. Byrd, who has served for 44 years in the United States, spoke out against George W. Bush's "bellicose" and hasty approach to war with Iraq, claiming it was influenced by the looming congressional elections.
- In Australia, where few members of Parliament have had the courage to speak out in such forceful terms as Byrd, the Governor-General, Peter Hollingworth, appeared to side with John Howard in a speech in which he discussed the concept of a just war.
December 2002
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