Northern Territory Interpretation of results The popularity of John Howard as prime minister and the ineffectiveness of Mark Latham as an opposition leader was what ultimately drove the Coalition’s electoral success. The lack of viable alternatives as prime minister in the Coalition Government helped consolidate this. In the Howard government’s third term, there had been the widely held view that the economy had been performing well, and economic security had increased. These economic circumstances were unusual for Australia following a tumultuous decade previously, one which saw a recession occur. This bolstered Howard’s popularity, an opposition only stood a chance of making significant inroads against a leader much less popular than Howard. Latham ran at times a scrappy campaign, announcing policy at unusual times and often without the consultation of his party room. Howard exploited this and succeeded in portraying him as inexperienced and risky. He also disregarded connecting to business or financial leaders, something which was viewed by many as a miscalculation. The two main policy areas that dominated campaigning were that of international security (Iraq War, terrorism) and economic security. They did sway votes and drove people to defect from either party, however to a lesser extent. In polls conducted it was found that 82% of people opposed the war, yet only 4% listed it as their primary issue. Support for the war followed an unusual trajectory. Initially, the country’s engagement in a war alongside Britain and the United States was met with outrage in the community. However, once Australia had committed troops to the war, public opinion began shifting. Public support for the war became largely positive in late 2003. There were many people who objected to it on a moral basis but relatively few cared enough to change their vote at the ballot box. Labor frequently attacked the coalition on their record of providing adequate social services such as Medicare, education funding and social welfare. Policies were announced aimed at addressing these and this resonated with voters. Under the view of many in the electorate, these services had seen decline under the three terms of the coalition. School funding received particular attention with Latham announcing a bold remodelling of how federal funding would be split amongst independent and public schools. Latham suggested that elite private schools, some of the most expensive in the country, would have their funding slashed and redistributed to lower socioeconomic independent schools and