Special Sub-Topic: 2007 Australian Federal Election Click Here To Play: 2007 Australian Federal Election

On which show did Kevin Rudd and Joe Hockey, a Liberal member of Parliament, have a weekly TV segment every Friday?

Sunrise. "Sunrise" helped lift Kevin Rudd's profile to the nation. In 2006, he and Joe walked the Kokoda Track as a part of the show's Anzac special. Another special was being planned in 2007 but this was canceled and the two men were forced to leave the show.

Who did Kevin Rudd replace as leader of the Australian Labor Party in December 2006?

Kim Beazley. Kevin Rudd took over from Kim Beazley after a leadership challenge. Kim Beazley decided to retire at the November 2007 elections.

Which slogan did Kevin Rudd NOT use during the campaign?

Go for growth. Kevin Rudd was known to use a lot of slogans. The Liberal Party used the "go for growth" slogan. This was showing that the economy was growing and more people were employed. However, the impact of this was that interest rates would rise.

According to the the Liberal Party, what percentage of the Australian Labor Party candidates had union membership?

70%. The Liberal Party reminded us that there was a strong link between the union movement and the Labor Party.

Which of these happened to Kevin Rudd?

All of these (A video on Youtube showing Kevin Rudd eating his earwax in Parliament, A piano accordion player was upset that Kevin Rudd was taking all the attention from the choir's soloist rendition of "That's Amore", He got confused on the tax scales). These incidents all happened to Kevin Rudd on the election campaign. Throughout 2007, Kevin Rudd had to explain his wife's business employment practices as well as a short visit to a gentleman's club. None of these incidents affected his popularity.

What piece of legislation, passed in Parliament in 2006, had upset the union movement?

Work Choices. Work Choices was legislation that tried to change the working environment. It encouraged employers to use workplace agreements and was against collective bargaining.

Which of the following happened during the campaign for the seat of Wentworth?

All of these (The Liberal Party accused the Labor candidate that he had not resigned from his government job properly, The Labor candidate accused a journalist of slapping him across the face, The Liberal candidate was spinning a swivel pod with two children seated and it tipped over leaving the children in tears). The seat of Wentworth is in the Sydney Eastern suburbs and includes the suburb of Bondi. After the last election, the Liberal Party held this seat by 2.5%. Malcolm Turnbull, the Liberal member, increased his margin at the 2007 election, and was one of the few Liberal members to do so.

Who said to a radio disc jockey that the Labor Government would "change the world when they get elected"?

Peter Garrett. Peter Garrett, a Labor Party member, met a radio presenter at an airport. This caused the Labor support to drop for a few days before the Liberal Party went to their next crisis.

Who arrived late for a TV debate, told an asbestos disease sufferer that he had impure motives and was caught swearing on TV?

Tony Abbott. Tony Abbott, the Federal Health minister, is often caught speaking his mind. He had to later apologise for his comment to the asbestos-diseased man. He passed away in the last week of the election campaign.

What happened in 2007 for the first time ever during an election campaign?

The Reserve Bank raised interest rates. Never before had the Reserve Bank lifted interest rates during an election campaign. It was felt that this would be too political. At the previous federal election in 2004 , the Liberal Party told voters that interest rates would remain at record lows.

What did Peter Costello say about the Australian Labor Party at the Federal Coalition campaign launch?

The Labor Party would have you believe there were never reds under the beds, just economic conservatives. Peter Costello doubted the economic credentials of the Labor Party because, in his opinion, previous Labor governments "overspent and left the budget in deficit".

Maxine McKew was the Labor candidate for the seat of Bennelong. What was her job 12 months before the election?

journalist. She had been a journalist for over 30 years working for TV and the Australian magazine "The Bulletin".

Which retiring Liberal member's husband was caught distributing racist pamphlets stating that the Labor Party supported the Bali bombers in the last week of the election campaign?

Jackie Kelly. Jackie Kelly had been a member for the seat of Lindsay from 1996 to 2007. Lindsay is a seat in the Western suburbs of Sydney, which is a working class area. Labor won the seat, which showed that the Liberal Party had lost support from the "Howard battlers".

John Howard became only the second Prime Minister to lose his seat at a Federal Election. What was the name of the seat he represented for over 33 years?

Bennelong. It was back in 1929 when Stanley Bruce became the first prime minister to lose his seat at a federal election. Like Howard, he campaigned on changes to industrial relations. John Howard was defeated by the high-profile Labor candidate, Maxine McKew.

In his speech conceding defeat, who did John Howard say should be the new Leader of the Liberal party?

Peter Costello. Peter Costello was the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and Treasurer when John Howard became prime minister in 1996. During the election campaign, John Howard had indicated that he would retire during the next government's term and handover leadership to Peter Costello. The day after the 2007 election, Peter Costello, who won his seat in Parliament, told the media he was intending to leave politics and would not be contesting the leadership. Brendan Nelson became leader of the Liberal Party.