Howard Calls Tune For One-Man Band

Malcolm Farr - Daily Telegraph

John Howard yesterday acknowledged just how profoundly this is his Government, which for his audience was an explanation for just how hard it would be for him to retire.

His words were part of a Liberal Party convention strategy to put the emphasis on strong leadership as a contrast to Labor's troubles in that area.
It also was viewed as a justification by John Howard for his decision to stay in Parliament and not pass on power to Peter Costello.

The Prime Minister spoke with emotion of his decision to join the Iraq invasion coalition and admitted it had been tested and challenged within the Liberal Party and the Government.

It was a one-man decision, from the advance deployment to the actual engagement of Australian troops.

Mr Howard rested his ability to push that Iraq decision through his party, and a substantial section of the electorate, on what he called the "political covenant".

Basically, this amounted to loyalty to a leader and faith in his judgments. Mr Howard was able to tough out that period through the operation of that covenant.

Trimmed down, it was the preparedness of his colleagues and the electorate to trust him to do the right thing, even if they had concerns about it.

Howard is confident the outcome of the conflict justified that trust.

But the Man of Steel, as George Bush called him, isn't just a Man of War. He and his office are seriously involved in a range of policy matters, intervening because of their importance, or because results are not being produced.

Great chunks of policy are being managed out of John Howard's office in a demonstration of how deeply involved the Prime Minister is in his Government.

That's one reason why he couldn't quickly leave. He not only knows where the skeletons are but holds the keys to the cupboards.

And there are some clear examples.

Much of health policy is being handled by senior staff in Mr Howard's personal office. So much so that the office of the Minister, Kay Patterson, noted among journalists for its erratic communications methods, is being bypassed by elements of the health industry.

This is the fact which has sparked unconfirmed rumours of a reshuffle with Senator Patterson top of the list of those expected to be dealt out.

The Howard style of Government management still allows a lot of room for strong ministers. Sometimes it is a partnership with the PM, as in Brendan Nelson's education policy.

No one could say Alexander Downer isn't in control of his and his department's agendas, but he defers to the Prime Minister occasionally, and most obviously on the Iraq question.

Mr Howard produced a telling phrase on Saturday in rejecting suggestions that protests about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction were based on contrived intelligence reports.

"There was no doctoring of intelligence advice by the Government I lead," he said.

This made clear he was in charge of the matter from start to finish (and left open the curious implication that some other government had done the doctoring).

Peter Costello undoubtedly is in charge of Treasury and while the Budget is the product of extensive consultation and co-ordination with broad Government principles, it is definitely his Budget.

However, there is one area where the Prime Minister's office, again, is running an important issue. The issue is superannuation.

Frustrated industry sources claim that Mr Costello has a bias against superannuation for two ideologically-based reasons.

They say he doesn't like the compulsory superannuation contributions because it was a Labor creation; he distrusts the union-sponsored industry funds even though they make up as little as 10 per cent of super activity.

It seemed a strange attitude from a Treasurer who last year highlighted the problems of a rapidly aging Australia, including the need for more retirement savings.

Helen Coonan nominally is the Minister for Superannuation, but industry representatives are going to prime ministerial staff are doing work on policy.

John Howard -- by design or otherwise -- has become almost vital to a range of policy developments and their implementation.