John Howard became the Australian Prime Minister in 1996. During his time in office, he accomplished many things. His first accomplishment was the introduction of a program that reformed the country’s economy. This was achieved through reduced costs in the provision of public services. In addition, his decision to privatize Telstra cut unnecessary costs. The second accomplishment associated with Howard was the implementation of industrial relations reforms and the adoption of new tax systems. Changes in international affairs that he introduced were driven by regional crises that affected other countries. For instance, the terrorist attacks that hit the US in 2001 and the war against terrorism that followed changed Australian politics. His third accomplishment was the restructuring of taxation systems in Australia.
In terms of leadership style, Howard was described by many people as a reformer. During Fraser’s third term in office, Howard disagreed with the cabinet after it rejected his attempt to introduce policies that were aimed at deregulating the economy. In a bid to adjust his policies, he adopted a conservative style of leadership that went against simple labels or descriptions. He differentiated himself from his predecessors by advocating for policy changes. This earned him support from the public, although it was difficult to convince the opposition to support his reforms. Howard used his deep knowledge of the conservative style of leadership to exercise great caution during his first term in office, something that disappointed his close supporters. He advocated for economic reforms and took advantage of the fact that the electorate was afraid of change. After the US was attacked by terrorists in 2001, Howard got an opportunity to establish strong leadership strategies that facilitated his leadership style. In addition, he applied a reassuring style of leadership that succeeded because most of his closest supporters were not in politics by the time he ascended to power (Grattan, 2010).
John Howard was a loyal member of the Liberal Party that was led by Fraser. Fraser failed to reform the Australian economy; hence the Liberal Party was divided. After divisions emerged, Howard battled to become a superior party member. This was due to the fact that Liberal Party leaders evaluated their success by considering what the founder of their party valued. As a result, Howard considered Menzies, founder of the Liberal Party as his role model. He, therefore, distanced himself from the leadership style of Fraser. Menzies and Fraser used the Liberal Party to exercise the conservative style of leadership. Since Howard believed in the leadership of the party, he exercised strong leadership. His political ambitions did not allow him to remain dormant since he wanted to earn recognition in the party. He, therefore, maintained a good relationship with its leadership but remained aggressive.
Howard was described as a leader whose political language portrayed several themes. The first theme that was portrayed in his political language was his efforts to reform the Australian economy. He emphasized that it was important for the country to adopt different policy strategies, especially after hard economic times that were witnessed in the 1970s. The second theme in his political language was the need to cut public spending. Howard believed that a reduction in public spending was an important strategy in his reform agenda that served both political and economic purposes. In addition, he advocated for the adoption of free-market policies (Grattan, 2010).
Reference
Grattan, M 2010. Australian Prime Ministers, Routledge, New Holland, Sydney.