Howard honour for governance
Canberra Times, Page: 2. Tuesday, 8 April, 2008
A US financial services firm has honoured John Howard with a $U550,000 ($A54,300) award, citing Australia ’s economic strength during his time as prime minister.
In presenting Mr Howard its Common Wealth Award for Government, the PNC Financial Services Group also praised his workplace reforms, which have since been undone by the Rudd Government.
PNC also noted Mr Howard ’s tax reforms, including the introduction of the GST, his stance on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, his controversial welfare-to-work reforms, and his gun buyback program after the Port Arthur massacre.
"Mr Howard pursued broadly pro-market economic policies in his time as prime minister," PNC said, adding that during his tenure Australia experienced economic growth averaging 3.6 per cent a year.
"He also substantially reformed Australia’s labour laws through a freer and less regulated labour market," PNC said, noting Australia’s very low unemployment rate.
Mr Howard received the award in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday, alongside three other recipients, including NASA’s top climate scientist, James Hansen, who last year claimed the Bush Administration had tried to silence him.
Mr Hansen accused the Bush Administration last year of trying to stop him speaking out after he gave a lecture calling for prompt reductions in emissions for greenhouse gasses.
There was no mention in Mr Howard’s citation of his environmental policies, including his refusal to sign the Kyoto protocol on climate change.
The Rudd Government signed the Kyoto protocol in one of its first acts when it came into power.
Mr Howard defended that decision, telling Agence France Presse, "I thought it was the right policy at the time because the major emitters were not on board.
"You need a new Kyoto protocol with all the major emitters committed to it.
"Then you are cooking with gas." The other two award recipients were US actress Glenn Close, for dramatic arts, and NBC news anchor Ann Curry, for mass communications. They also took home prizes of $US50,000.
The awards are provided by a trust of the late Ralph Hayes, a former director of Coca Cola and Bank of Delaware, now PNC.
In 29 years, 165 recipients in seven fields have included former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, former US newsman Walter Cronkite, French marine biologist Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marque.
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