The Wire

Last night a black tie dinner was held in Sydney to pay tribute to Prime Minister John Howard. And this time it wasn’t just a gathering of the Liberal Party faithful. John Howard was given a public service award by the US based Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars for his contribution to the relationship between the US and Australia. US President George Bush even recorded a message for the event calling our PM a great friend of America. The centre was established by US Congress in 1968 and past awards have gone to Europeans and Canadians but this is the first time it has gone to an Australian. But not everyone is convinced that John Howard received the award just for his public service. Michael Atkin has more.