Howard government re-elected
The Liberal–National Coalition led by John Howard won a third term at the federal election on 10 November 2001. The AEC's "Divisions Won" count, dated 4 December 2001, shows the Liberals on 68 House of Representatives seats, the Nationals on 13 and the Country Liberal Party on 1, for 82 in total. Labor won 65 and others 3. The BBC reported that Labor leader Kim Beazley resigned after the defeat.
At his campaign launch in Sydney on 28 October 2001, Howard said the campaign was being fought against "two overriding issues. They are the issue of national security and the issue of economic management." He said of the 11 September attacks: "That was an attack on Australia as much as it was an attack on the United States." On border protection he said: "But we will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come."
The BBC wrote that the Tampa episode in August was "the start of the Prime Minister's hardline stance on asylum which was to prove so valuable in the election". It also reported that Labor "was out-manoeuvred throughout the campaign on the two critical issues - asylum and the global war on terrorism". The Senate committee later found that the false "children overboard" claim was made at the start of the campaign and kept up throughout it, "during which 'border protection' and national security were key issues" (see the Children Overboard entry).
More sources:
