Meet the Frontbenchers

Can he do it? With gloomy polls haunting him for months, if John Howard can pull off his fifth consecutive election win he will become a Liberal legend. And if Nov. 24 turns out to be Howard's night, here are a few of the ministers he'll have to thank

Peter Costello
"What counts is where you were when the work was being done."
Experience: Treasurer since 1996
Prime Minister John Howard's anointed successor has shown he can wait for the top job — but for how much longer? Praised for piling up budget surpluses and introducing a Goods and Services Tax, Costello is set to be Coalition leader by the next election. Though a witty performer in Parliament, he often seems dour outside it, and is yet to test his popularity with voters as a potential national leader — or map out what kind of P.M. he would be.

Mark Vaile
"Nine billion dollars worth of [campaign] spending out of a $1.1 trillion economy is a relatively small amount."
Experience: Deputy P.M.and leader of National Party since 2005
Former Trade Minister Vaile lacks predecessor John Anderson's national profile and charm, but has proved a steady No. 2 to Howard despite an uncertain performance during the scandal over wheat-export bribes to Saddam's Iraq. Key National issues such as the drought and water will play a large role in this poll.

Alexander Downer
"Being Foreign Minister is the second best thing in politics in Australia."
Experience: Foreign Affairs Minister since 1996; former Liberal leader
Scion of an Adelaide political dynasty, Downer has led Australia's forays into world affairs for a decade, from peacekeepers in East Timor and the Solomons to combat troops to Afghanistan and Iraq. He has energetically promoted ties with Asia, notably Indonesia and China, but is reportedly keen to swap departure lounges for budgets if Costello becomes P.M.

Mal Brough
"The sad thing is ... Australians don't actually vote on indigenous affairs."
Experience: Family, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Minister since 2006
Brough is the face of the government's boldest campaign this year — the Northern Territory Emergency Response to child abuse in Aboriginal communities. He has won praise in a sensitive portfolio but brickbats, too — critics say the straight-talking former Army officer has undermined indigenous autonomy.

Malcolm Turnbull
"We need to have all of our energy being zero-emission."
Experience: Environment and Water Minister since Jan. '07
Charismatic republican and investment banker on the political rise — if he retains his marginal Sydney seat. Said after the 1999 republic referendum that monarchist Howard had "broken this nation's heart." Has swiftly mastered a key portfolio but drawn criticism for approving a new pulp mill in Tasmania. Believed to support ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, in contrast to government position.

Joe Hockey
"I'll put my personal integrity on the line on this."
Experience: Employment and Workplace Relations Minister since 2007
The son of an Armenian immigrant, Hockey has been salesman for the contentious Work Choices legislation since rising to the portfolio this year. The jolliest of Howard's ministers, who once parodied himself publicly as the cartoon ogre Shrek, Hockey has promised to resign if Labor predictions of further changes to industrial relations laws under a Howard government prove correct.