Abbott was working as a journalist for the Bulletin, that he first met John Howard. They got on well. JOHN HOWARD: Very intelligent, easy to talk to, had a lot of views the same as me; was traditional about a lot of things, but he was also somebody with a great enquiring mind. LIZ JACKSON: When you say a lot of ideas similar to your own, what sort of things are you talking about? JOHN HOWARD: Well, he saw Australia as something of an outpost of Western civilisation and values in the Asian Pacific region, and having to combine the history and the geography of our country, which he thought we could do... LIZ JACKSON: Did you spot him as a potential political talent early on? JOHN HOWARD: Oh yes, I thought he had real political talent, and he'd been... he'd been active in in university politics. Ah, and I'd heard about his activism in university politics and he was obviously active on the anti-Labor side. (Archive footage from rugby match) COMMENTATOR: He's done it again. Four straight penalty goals... (End of footage) LIZ JACKSON: In 1990 John Howard ran into Tony Abbott at the Sydney Football stadium. Abbott wanted to move into politics, and John Howard was happy to help. JOHN HEWSON (3 April 1990): Today is a new start. LIZ JACKSON: There was job going as press secretary to Dr John Hewson, who'd just become the Liberal leader. JOHN HOWARD: And I said to Tony, 'you want to