Howard handed historic free rein to set agenda

PRIME Minister John Howard looks set to hold the most powerful mandate of any Australian leader in a generation after weekend elections handed him effective control of both houses of parliament and free rein to impose his conservative agenda.

Internationally the most important immediate consequence of the vote was that Australia will keep its troops in Iraq - a presence that defeated opposition leader Mark Latham had vowed to end if he had won the election.

US President George W. Bush was quick to hail Howard’s victory - his fourth consecutive poll win. “Australia is a great ally in the war on terror, and John Howard is the right man to lead that country,” Bush said.

Official results yesterday gave Mr Howard’s Liberal-National coalition at least 83 and up to 85 seats in the 150-member lower House of Representatives, where the largest faction forms government. The coalition held 82 seats previously.

Mr Latham, 43, saw his Labour Party’s support shrink across the nation and its presence in the House drop from 64 to a probable 60 seats.

In the 76-member upper house Senate, where the vote count is slower, Mr Howard’s camp was tipped to win at least 38 seats and was well placed to capture a 39th for outright control, Anthony Green, the main election analyst for national broadcaster ABC, said. It would be the first time since 1981 that a government has controlled both houses of Australia’s parliament.