The Art of Coalition The Howard Government Experience, 19962007

<p>Despite being described as ''a remarkably successful partnership'' by John Howard and a ''triumph of trust'' by his counterpart, Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson, the art of coalition government is a delicate (and sometimes difficult) balancing of policy, politics and personalities. The relationship between the Liberal and Nationals parties ensured the Howard Government''s stability and provided a solid foundation for its legislative program between 1996 and 2007. While the Coalition partnership has been pivotal to Australian politics since the Second World War, under the Howard prime ministership - despite occasional tensions - the two parties changed key aspects of Australian life through gun control, telecommunications and taxation reform, and balancing the budget.</p><p>In <em>The Art of Coalition,</em> Tom Frame, Zareh Ghazarian, Linda Courtenay Botterill, Paul Davey, Joel Fitzgibbon, Tony Abbott and others convey the complexities of maintaining a strong political partnership, and the importance of trust in an effective coalition.</p><p><strong>''This book is a valuable account of one of the successes of the Howard era - Coalition relations in office - with contributions from participants and commentators. It is more illuminating than ever given the more recent experience pointing to deepening difficulties between the coalition partners.'' - Paul Kelly</strong></p><p><strong>''There are few aspects of the government I led that have been more consistently overlooked in academic scholarship than the highly effective coalition between the Liberal and National parties. This collection of perspectives is a timely reminder of the importance of consensus and co-operation in the pursuit of the national interest and the public good.'' - John Howard</strong></p><p><br></p>