2004 Australian House of Representatives election

none April 2022 June 2022 House of Representatives elections, 2004 Australia 2001 2007 All 150 seats in the Australian House of Representatives 76 2004 10 09 y 94.3% John Howard Liberal Party of Australia 68 74 40.5% Mark Latham Australian Labor Party 65 60 37.6% John Anderson National Party of Australia 13 12 5.9% Terry Mills Country Liberal Party 1 1 0.3% Prime Minister John Howard Coalition (Australia) 100x100px|John Howard John Howard Coalition (Australia) 100x100px|John Howard The 2004 Australian federal election was held on Saturday 9 October 2004 and it was the Howard government's opportunity to secure its fourth term of government. The Government consisting of the conservative coalition Liberal Party and National Party headed by John Howard and John Anderson respectively were opposed by Mark Latham and the Labor Party. The Howard government would be returned for its fourth term, seeing major gains nationwide. It was able to increase its majority by 10 seats, from 14 to 24, and a secured an increased margin in seats it already held.Bennett Scott Kopras Andrew Newman Gerrard 2005 Commonwealth Election 2004 https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/library/prspub/9BHF6/upload_binary/9bhf64.pdf Research Brief 13 Parliamentary Library 1832-2883 The Coalition finished the election with 87 seats, to Labor's 60. The remaining seats were held by independents. The election post-mortem would reveal that there had been a large miscalculation by the Australian Labor Party, pollsters, and media alike. What was predicted to be a close election, possibly even a Labor win by many, resulted in a win for the Coalition and a decline in the primary vote for the Labor Party.Wanna John January 2005 The Australian federal election 2004: Howard's scare campaign prompted labor's train‐wreck' http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00344890508523324 Representation en 41 4 291–299 10.1080/00344890508523324 153711938 0034-4893 subscription The following table shows results for the Australian House of Representatives at the 2004 federal election, Coalition 87, Australian Labor Party 60, with three independents. Lead up to the election In 2001, John Howard's Coalition government narrowly beat the Labor Party in what was deemed by many as an "unwinnable" election for the government. Issues of national security such as the September 11 terrorist attacks and the Tampa refugee crisis, allowed the government to turn its political fortunes around and secure a gain of two seats in the House of Representatives.Tavan Gwenda Issues that swung elections: Tampa and the national security election of 2001 http://theconversation.com/issues-that-swung-elections-tampa-and-the-national-security-election-of-2001-115143 2021-05-17 The Conversation 3 May 2019 en The years following 2001 saw Australia controversially engage in the Iraq War as a member of the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ along with the United States and United Kingdom. This war was seen by many globally as a failure and it was predicted that the Howard government could be defeated due to the war's unpopularity. Another western democracy, Spain, had seen its pro-Iraq war government defeated in an election earlier that year and it was speculated that the Australian government might suffer the same fate.McAllister Ian Bean Clive 2006-12-06 Leaders, the Economy or Iraq? Explaining Voting in the 2004 Australian Election* Australian Journal of Politics & History en 52 4 604–620 10.1111/j.1467-8497.2006.00435a.x free thumb|Leader of the opposition: Mark Latham On the 29th of August 2004, the prime minister announced that a federal election would be held on October 9, 2004. This was an unusual time to announce an election, many thought the ongoing Athens Olympic Games gathering most of the public's attention. It was also an unusually long election campaign at 6 weeks. Many pundits predicted a tight race with Michelle Grattan stating on the day of the announcement that the campaign would be "an unpredictable and exciting election in which neither leader starts with a decisive break, either could take the prize, and absolutely anything could happen in between". However, the Government was campaigning from a strong position politically. Despite the poignancy of the Iraq War as an issue, issues surrounding the economy such as interest rates, the size of the deficit, taxation and unemployment dominated the political agenda during the election campaign. The sale of Telstra was also an influential topic. The Howard government had delivered several budget surpluses and Australian's were enjoying a period of strong economic growth and low unemployment. The government afforded many tax breaks and concessions to middle-income earners, which despite not being revolutionary policy, bought them favour with large sections of the electorate. Add to this that the Labor Party had found itself in the political wilderness since 2001, spending much of its time between 2001 and 2004 under Simon Crean who suffered consistently poor polling, and the Howard government looked as though it had a strong grip on power. Labor eventually switched leaders in early 2004 to allow itself a better chance at the election. Crean resigned to allow Mark Latham to assume the position of leader in 2003 in a contested ballot against Kim Beazley.2003-04-23 Crean accuses Beazley of destabilising Labor https://www.theage.com.au/national/crean-accuses-beazley-of-destabilising-labor-20030423-gdvl7i.html 2021-05-17 The Age en Redistributions in the Lower House Victoria In 2002-03 there was a significant redistribution of two Victorian seats. The electorate of McMillan, a marginal Labor electorate was redistributed to become a nominally Liberal seat. The electorate of Gippsland, a seat seen as a fairly safe for the National Party was redistributed to become more marginal. South Australia In 2003, the Australian Electoral Commission determined that South Australia would lose a seat and Queensland would gain a seat. It was decided that the electorate of Bonython would be absorbed into the electorate of Wakefield, drastically changing the demographics of this electorate in the process. It was unknown what the change would yield in terms of election results. Queensland Queensland's rising population saw it become entitled to an additional seat. This new seat would come in the form of an Eastern Brisbane electorate, Bonner. Bonner was a nominally Liberal electorate that took territory from the electorate of Bowman, a Labor seat. This redistribution would see the seat become nominally Liberal. Australia + House of Representatives (IRV) — Turnout 94.69% (CV) — Informal 5.18% File:2004 Australian House.svg Party Votes % Swing Seats Change     Liberal 4,741,458 40.47 +3.39 74 6   Nationals 690,275 5.89 +0.28 12 1   CLP 39,855 0.34 +0.02 1 Liberal–National coalition 5,471,588 46.71 +3.79 87 5   Labor 4,409,117 37.64 –0.20 60 5Cunningham   Greens 841,734 7.19 +2.23 0 Cunningham   Family First 235,315 2.01 +2.01   Democrats 144,832 1.24 –4.17   One Nation 139,956 1.19 –3.15 Total 11,715,132     150 Two-party-preferred vote   Coalition 6,179,130 52.74 +1.79 87 5   Labor 5,536,002 47.26 –1.79 60 5Invalid/blank votes 639,851 5.18 +0.36 Registered voters/turnout 13,098,461 94.32 Source: Commonwealth Election 2004 States New South Wales Results of the 2004 Australian federal election in New South Wales 2004 Australian federal election(New South Wales) New South Wales parliamentary no Results of the 2001 Australian federal election in New South Wales 2001 Results of the 2007 Australian federal election in New South Wales 2007 All 50 New South Wales seats in the Australian House of Representativesand 6 seats in the Australian Senate 9 October 2004 Liberal/National coalition John Howard 170x170px|John Howard 45.34% 2.55 28 seats 28 27 1 Australian Labor Party Mark Latham 170x170px|Mark Latham 36.70% 0.25 20 seats 19 21 2 Australian Greens None 170x170px|Greens 8.09% 3.34 0 seats 1 0 1 TPP 51.93% 48.07% TPP swing 0.27 0.27 +Turnout 94.70% (CV) — Informal 6.12%2004 AEC NSW|2004 First preference votes for New South Wales https://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseStateFirstPrefsByParty-12246-NSW.htm Australian Electoral Commission 2022-06-06 Party Votes % Swing Seats Change   Liberal 1,391,511 36.16 +2.58 21   Nationals 353,670 9.19 –0.03 6 1 Liberal–National coalition 1,745,181 45.34 +2.54 27 1   Labor 1,412,418 36.70 +0.25 21 1Cunningham   Greens 311,369 8.09 3.34 0 Cunningham   One Nation 53,881 1.40 -3.37   Christian Democrats 47,132 1.22 0.00   Democrats 41,072 1.07 -3.17   Family First 29,621 0.77 0.77   Citizens Electoral Council 11,500 0.30 0.15   liberals for forests 8,165 0.21 0.21   No GST 7,229 0.19 0.06   Socialist Alliance 4,415 0.11 0.11   Progressive Labour 3,775 0.10 -0.02   Outdoor Recreation 3,505 0.09 0.09   Save the ADI Site 3,490 0.09 -0.07   Ex-Service, Service and Veterans 3,108 0.08 0.08   New Country 2,824 0.07 0.07   Fishing Party 2,516 0.07 0.05   Lower Excise Fuel and Beer 2,007 0.05 -0.03   Non-Custodial Parents 1,132 0.03 0.01   Nuclear Disarmament 0,341 0.01 0.01   Independents 154,013 4.00 -0.06 2 Total 4,099,501 50 Two-party-preferred vote   Liberal/National Coalition 1,998,699 51.93 +0.27 27 1   Labor 1,849,995 48.07 –0.27 21 1Invalid/blank votes 250,807 6.12 +0.25 Registered voters/turnout 4,329,115 94.70 Source: AEC Tally Room Four seats changed hands in NSW during this election, with the Liberal Party experiencing a primary vote of 36.2%, one of its strongest tally's since the 1975 poll and at the expense of the Labor Party. The opposition lost ground in the outer suburbs of Sydney, areas which it once considered to be very strong for its vote. The Nationals' vote remained steady but the Greens' vote increased by 3.3%, the party's second best result in the state.Bennett Scott Kopras Andrew Newman Gerrard 2005 Commonwealth Election 2004 https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/library/prspub/9BHF6/upload_binary/9bhf64.pdf Research Brief 13 Parliamentary Library 1832-2883collapsed Victoria Results Victoria Results of the 2004 Australian federal election in Victoria 2004 Australian federal election(Victoria) Victoria parliamentary no Results of the 2001 Australian federal election in Victoria 2001 Results of the 2007 Australian federal election in Victoria 2007 All 37 Victoria seats in the Australian House of Representativesand 6 seats in the Australian Senate 9 October 2004 Australian Labor Party Mark Latham x200px|Mark Latham 40.45% 0.08 19 seats 19 seats Liberal/National coalition John Howard x200px|John Howard 46.75% 4.60 18 seats 18 seats TPP 51.00% 49.00% TPP swing 3.14 3.14 +Turnout 94.84% (CV) — Informal 5.16%2004 AEC Vic|2004 First preference votes for Victoria https://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseStateFirstPrefsByParty-12246-VIC.htm Australian Electoral Commission 2022-06-06 Party Votes % Swing Seats Change   Liberal 1,302,038 43.24 +4.17 16   Nationals 105,557 3.51 +0.43 2 Liberal–National coalition 1,302,038 46.75 +4.60 18   Labor 1,217,921 40.45 –1.20 19   Greens 224,423 7.45 +1.55   Family First 71,735 2.38 +2.38   Democrats 32,363 1.07 –5.18   Citizens Electoral Council 14,010 0.47 +0.24   One Nation 4,119 0.14 –1.14   Socialist Alliance 3,694 0.12 0.12   DLP 1,372 0.05 0.05   No GST 573 0.02 -0.15   Ex-Service, Service and Veterans 527 0.02 0.02   Christian Democrats 459 0.02 -0.19   Aged and Disability Pensioners Party 285 0.01 0.01   Independents 32,073 1.07 -0.99 Total 3,139,881 37 Two-party-preferred vote   Liberal/National Coalition 1,535,650 51.00 +3.14 18   Labor 1,475,519 49.00 –3.14 19 Invalid/blank votes 128,712 4.10 +0.12 Registered voters/turnout 3,309,800 94.87 Source: AEC Tally Room Despite winning the most seats, Labor suffered its lowest primary vote share in the state since 1990. The Liberal Party performed strongly in Victoria recording their best results in the state since the election of 1954 with 43.2% of the primary vote. The Nationals and Greens vote held steady in the state, while the Australian Democrat vote fell sharply to 1.1%.Bennett Scott Kopras Andrew Newman Gerrard 2005 Commonwealth Election 2004 https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/library/prspub/9BHF6/upload_binary/9bhf64.pdf Research Brief 13 Parliamentary Library 1832-2883collapsed Queensland Results of the 2004 Australian federal election in Queensland 2004 Australian federal election(Queensland) Queensland parliamentary no Results of the 2001 Australian federal election in Queensland 2001 Results of the 2007 Australian federal election in Queensland 2007 All 28 Queensland seats in the Australian House of Representativesand 6 seats in the Australian Senate 9 October 2004 Liberal/National coalition John Howard x200px|John Howard 49.15% 3.56 20 seats 21 seats 1 Australian Labor Party Mark Latham x200px|Mark Latham 34.75% 0.08 7 seats 6 seats 1 TPP 57.09% 42.91% TPP swing 2.23 2.23 +Turnout 94.84% (CV) — Informal 5.16%2004 AEC Qld|2004 First preference votes for Queensland https://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseStateFirstPrefsByParty-12246-QLD.htm Australian Electoral Commission 2022-06-06 Party Votes % Swing Seats Change   Liberal 867,289 39.41 + 2.95 17 1   Nationals 214,522 9.75 +0.61 4 Liberal/National Coalition 1,081,811 49.15 +3.55 21 1   Labor 765,507 34.78 +0.08 6 1   Greens 111,314 5.06 +1.57   Family First 80,820 3.67 +3.67   One Nation 43,619 1.98 –5.09   Democrats 30,255 1.37 –2.94   Citizens Electoral Council 7,872 0.36 + 0.22   New Country 3,990 0.18 +0.18   Great Australians 2,824 0.13 +0.13   Socialist Alliance 1,251 0.06 +0.06   HEMP 787 0.04 –0.01   Ex-Service, Service and Veterans 734 0.03 +0.03   Independents 70,104 3.18 –1.45 Total 2,320,717 28 Two-party-preferred vote   Liberal/National Coalition 1,256,533 57.09 +2.23 21 1   Labor 944,355 42.91 –2.23 6 1Invalid/blank votes 119,829 5.16 +0.33 Registered voters/turnout 2,475,611 93.74 Source: AEC Tally Room The Labor Party returned poor polling in the state, especially considering it was enjoying strong results at a state level through to 2004. Indeed, Labor recorded some of its lowest primary vote numbers in this state since the party's foundation in this election, while the Liberal party recorded some of its strongest. Queensland was the poorest state electorally for the Greens, while One Nation also suffered a 5.1% reduction in their primary vote.Bennett Scott Kopras Andrew Newman Gerrard 2005 Commonwealth Election 2004 https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/library/prspub/9BHF6/upload_binary/9bhf64.pdf Research Brief 13 Parliamentary Library 1832-2883collapsed Western Australia Results of the 2004 Australian federal election in Western Australia 2004 Australian federal election(Western Australia) Western Australia parliamentary no Results of the 2001 Australian federal election in Western Australia 2001 Results of the 2007 Australian federal election in Western Australia 2007 All 15 Western Australian seats in the Australian House of Representativesand 6 seats in the Australian Senate 9 October 2004 Liberal/National coalition John Howard x200px|John Howard 48.76% 6.35 8 seats 10 seats 2 Australian Labor Party Mark Latham x200px|Mark Latham 34.75% 2.39 7 seats 5 seats 2 TPP 55.40% 44.60% TPP swing 3.78 3.78 +Turnout 92.79% (CV) — Informal 5.32%2004 AEC WA|2004 First preference votes for Western Australia https://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseStateFirstPrefsByParty-12246-WA.htm Australian Electoral Commission 2022-06-06 Party Votes % Swing Seats Change   Liberal 528,016 48.13 + 6.74 10 2   Nationals 6,895 0.63 –0.39 Liberal–National coalition 534,911 48.76 +6.35 10 2   Labor 381,200 34.75 –2.39 5 2   Greens 84,100 7.67 + 1.68   One Nation 27,650 2.52 –3.75   Christian Democratics 24,650 2.25 +1.07   Democrats 16,298 1.49 –3.17   Citizens Electoral Council 6,539 0.60 +0.33   Family First 2,619 0.24 +0.24   New Country 2,625 0.24 +0.25   Socialist Alliance 1,620 0.15 +0.15   Independents 14,861 1.35 + 0.82 Total 1,158,687 15 Two-party-preferred vote   Liberal/National Coalition 607,829 55.40 + 3.78 10 2   Labor 489,244 44.60 –3.78 5 2Invalid/blank votes 61,614 5.32 +0.40 Registered voters/turnout 1,248,732 92.79 Source: AEC Tally Room Western Australia saw two seats change hands. The Liberal vote has always been considered strong in this state. It was made stronger in this election due to Kim Beazley's absence as Labor leader. Beazley, a native Western Australian was seen to bolster Labor's poll numbers when he stood in 1998 and 2001. This and the unpopular Labor state Geoff Gallop government of the time saw Labor's polling numbers slide to its lowest since 1977.Bennett Scott Kopras Andrew Newman Gerrard 2005 Commonwealth Election 2004 https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/library/prspub/9BHF6/upload_binary/9bhf64.pdf Research Brief 13 Parliamentary Library 1832-2883collapsed South Australia Results of the 2004 Australian federal election in South Australia 2004 Australian federal election(South Australia) South Australia parliamentary no Results of the 2001 Australian federal election in South Australia 2001 Results of the 2007 Australian federal election in South Australia 2007 All 11 South Australian seats in the Australian House of Representativesand 6 seats in the Australian Senate 9 October 2004 Liberal/National coalition John Howard x200px|John Howard 48.42% 2.51 9 seats 8 seats 1 Australian Labor Party Mark Latham x200px|Mark Latham 36.75% 3.01 3 seats 3 seats TPP 54.36% 45.64% TPP swing 0.28 0.28 +Turnout 94.79% (CV) — Informal 5.56%2004 AEC SA|2004 First preference votes for South Australia https://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseStateFirstPrefsByParty-12246-SA.htm Australian Electoral Commission 2022-06-06 Party Votes % Swing Seats Change   Liberal 446,372 47.40 + 1.49 8 1   Nationals 9,611 1.02 +1.02 0 Liberal–National coalition 455,983 48.42 +2.52 8 1   Labor 346,071 36.75 + 3.01 3   Greens 51,200 5.44 +1.80   Democrats 17,682 1.88 –8.66   One Nation 10,687 1.13 –3.62   Family First 40,547 4.31 +4.31   Independents 19,204 2.04 +1.16 Total 997,102 11 1 Two-party-preferred vote   Liberal/National Coalition 511,845 54.36 +0.28 8 1   Labor 429,799 45.64 –0.28 3 Invalid/blank votes 55,458 5.56 +0.22 Registered voters/turnout 1,051,923 94.79 Source: AEC Tally Room The redistribution saw South Australia lose one seat. This election saw four seats change hands; however, there was no net change in party representation. The Liberal vote rose slightly, as did Labor's (3.1% since 2001). While the Greens recorded a result of 5.4%.collapsed Tasmania Results of the 2004 Australian federal election in Tasmania 2004 Australian federal election(Tasmania) Tasmania parliamentary no Results of the 2001 Australian federal election in Tasmania 2001 Results of the 2007 Australian federal election in Tasmania 2007 All 5 Tasmanian seats in the Australian House of Representativesand 6 seats in the Australian Senate 9 October 2004 Australian Labor Party Mark Latham x200px|Mark Latham 44.58% 2.59 5 seats 3 seats 2 Liberal/National coalition John Howard x200px|John Howard 41.98% 4.88 0 seats 2 seats 2 TPP 54.19% 45.81% TPP swing 3.54 3.54 2004 Australian federal election in Tasmania.svg Results by electorate +Turnout 95.64% (CV) — Informal 3.59%2004 AEC Tas|2004 First preference votes for Tasmania https://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseStateFirstPrefsByParty-12246-TAS.htm Australian Electoral Commission 2022-05-25 Party Votes % Swing Seats Change   Labor 140,918 44.58 –2.59 3 2   Liberal 132,724 41.98 +4.88 2 2   Greens 31,242 9.88 +2.07   Family First 8,973 2.84 +2.84   Citizens Electoral Council 1,158 0.37 +0.32   Socialist Alliance 1,108 0.35 +0.35 Total 316,123 5 Two-party-preferred vote   Labor 171,294 54.19 –3.54 3 2   Liberal/National Coalition 144,829 45.81 +3.54 2 2 Labor to Liberal: Bass Braddon Tasmania bucked the national trend against Labor. The party still lost two seats but maintained a primary vote of 44.6%. The Liberal party saw its primary vote jump 5.9% to 42.0%, and the Greens saw their strongest nationwide results capturing 9.9% of the vote.Bennett Scott Kopras Andrew Newman Gerrard 2005 Commonwealth Election 2004 https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/library/prspub/9BHF6/upload_binary/9bhf64.pdf Research Brief 13 Parliamentary Library 1832-2883collapsed Territories Results of the 2004 Australian federal election in territories Australian Capital Territory 2004 Australian federal election(Australian Capital Territory) Australian Capital Territory parliamentary no Results of the 2001 Australian federal election in territories 2001 Results of the 2007 Australian federal election in territories 2007 All 2 Australian Capital Territory seats in the Australian House of Representativesand all 2 seats in the Australian Senate 9 October 2004 Australian Labor Party Mark Latham x200px|Mark Latham 50.20% 3.30 2 seats 2 seats Liberal/National coalition John Howard x200px|John Howard 35.20% 2.80 0 seats 0 seats TPP 61.10% 38.90% TPP swing 1.40 1.40 +Turnout 95.85% (CV) — Informal 2.31%AEC First pref ACT|2004 First preference votes for the Australian Capital Territory https://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseStateFirstPrefsByParty-12246-ACT.htm Australian Electoral Commission 2022-06-05 Party Votes % Swing Seats Change  Labor 104,836 50.2 +3.3 2   Liberal 73,508 35.2 +2.8 0   Greens 22,440 10.8 +3.7   Democrats 5,010 2.4 –5.6   Socialist Alliance 2,067 1.0 +1.0   Citizens Electoral Council 765 0.4 +0.4 Total 208,626 2 Two-party-preferred vote  Labor 61.1 –1.4 2   Liberal   38.9 +1.4 0 Northern Territory 2004 Australian federal election(Northern Territory) Northern Territory parliamentary no Results of the 2001 Australian federal election in territories 2001 Results of the 2007 Australian federal election in territories 2007 All 2 Northern Territory seats in the Australian House of Representativesand all 2 seats in the Australian Senate 9 October 2004 Australian Labor Party Mark Latham x200px|Mark Latham 44.27% 1.34 1 seat 1 seat Liberal/National coalition John Howard x200px|John Howard 43.84% 3.30 1 seat 1 seat TPP 52.15% 47.85% TPP swing 0.34 0.34 +Turnout 86.53% (CV) — Informal 3.85%AEC First pref NT|2004 First preference votes for the Northern Territory https://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseStateFirstPrefsByParty-12246-NT.htm Australian Electoral Commission 2022-06-05 Party Votes % Swing Seats Change  Labor 40,246 44.27 +1.37 1   CLP 39,855 43.84 +3.30 1   Greens 5,646 6.21 +2.19   Democrats 2,152 2.37 –2.89   Family First 1,000 1.10 +1.10   Citizens Electoral Council 235 0.26 +0.26   Independents 1,781 1.96 –1.49 Total 89,972 2 Two-party-preferred vote  Labor 52.15 –0.34 1   CLP   47.85 +0.34 0 collapsed Interpretation of results thumb|332x332px|A polling booth on election day The popularity of John Howard as prime minister and the ineffectiveness of Mark Latham as an opposition leader was what ultimately drove the Coalition's electoral success. The lack of viable alternatives as prime minister in the Coalition government helped consolidate this. In the Howard government's third term, there had been the widely held view that the economy had been performing well, and economic security had increased. These economic circumstances were unusual for Australia following a tumultuous decade previously, one which saw a recession occur. This bolstered Howard's popularity, an opposition only stood a chance of making significant inroads against a leader much less popular than Howard. Latham ran at times a scrappy campaign, announcing policy at unusual times and often without the consultation of his party room. Howard exploited this and succeeded in portraying him as inexperienced and risky. He also disregarded connecting to business or financial leaders, something which was viewed by many as a miscalculation.Stimson Robert J Chhetri Prem Shyy Tung-Kai 2007 Typology of Local patterns of Voter Support for Political Parties at the 2004 Federal Election https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:132960 People and Place (ERA 2010, 2012, 2015, 2018 Journal(s) Listed) 15 12 ePress Monash University The two main policy areas that dominated campaigning were that of international security (Iraq War, terrorism) and economic security. They did sway votes and drove people to defect from either party, but to a lesser extent. In polls conducted it was found that 82% of people opposed the war, yet only 4% listed it as their primary issue. Support for the war followed an unusual trajectory. Initially, the country's engagement in a war alongside Britain and the United States was met with outrage in the community. However, once Australia had committed troops to the war, public opinion began shifting. Public support for the war became largely positive in late 2003. There were many people who objected to it on a moral basis but relatively few cared enough to change their vote at the ballot box. Labor frequently attacked the coalition on their record of providing adequate social services such as Medicare, education funding and social welfare. Policies were announced aimed at addressing these and this resonated with voters. Under the view of many in the electorate, these services had seen decline under the three terms of the coalition. School funding received particular attention with Latham announcing a bold remodelling of how federal funding would be split amongst independent and public schools. Latham suggested that elite private schools, some of the most expensive in the country, would have their funding slashed and redistributed to lower socioeconomic independent schools and government schools. This was seen by many as a departure from modern day political campaigning and a return to old fashioned class-warfare type politics.Australian Federal Election 2004. Labor's school funding policy fuels debate. Barrie Cassidy. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) https://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2004/opinion/cassidy/educationdebate.htm 2021-05-17 www.abc.net.au The media portrayed the policy dishonestly, describing it as removing all private school funding. This wasn't true, the policy ensured that the pool of independent funding remained but was distributed more to low-income schools. Nevertheless, Latham would be scalded in the media for adopting the policy with Victoria's Herald Sun running an editorial against him stating "Mr Latham's commitments are based on the fallacious, ideologically driven premise that all parents who send their children to so called wealthy schools are themselves rich". The Coalition successfully countered these by running a campaign around interest rates stating that the spending envisaged by a Labor government would inevitably see interest rates increase. The "Keep interest rates low" campaign ran by the Coalition reminded the electorate frequently about the double digit interest rates that existed under the Hawke/Keating Labor governments in the 1980s and 1990s. Labor decided to counter this by quoting a Reuters survey of 14 financial market economists that stated the party in government would make no difference to the level of interest rates over the next term of government. Many in Australia had borrowed heavily at the time to finance their home ownership and were swayed by this line of campaigning by Howard. They were justifiably nervous about their future financial prospects and voted accordingly. People saw the risk of foreclosure as a greater threat than the risk of sub-standard healthcare services or an inequitable public education sector.2004-10-10 Risky strategy ends in disaster for Labor https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/risky-strategy-ends-in-disaster-for-labor-20041010-gdjw66.html 2021-05-17 The Sydney Morning Herald en See also Post-election pendulum for the 2004 Australian federal election Candidates of the 2004 Australian federal election Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 2004–2007 Notes Cunningham Stephen Martin (Labor) had won the seat of Cunningham at the 2001 election; however, he retired in 2002. Michael Organ (Greens) won the seat at the resulting by-election; however, Sharon Bird regained the seat for Labor at this election. References House of Representatives 2004 Category:Australian House of Representatives