Cabinet Paper: Looking back at Australia's political situation

2004 saw one of Australia's most successful Olympic campaigns. It was also a successful year for John Howard, who won his fourth election.

An Iraqi man celebrates atop a burning US Army Humvee in the northern part of Baghdad, Iraq, in 2004 (AAP). Credit: MUHAMMED MUHEISEN/AP

But it wasn't without challenges - as the justification for the War in Iraq disappeared and images of human rights abuses by US soldiers emerged.

Thousands of Cabinet Papers from the year 2004 have been released, giving a glimpse of the inner workings of the Howard Government at that time.

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