John Howard calls Peter Costello into his office. "Peter, I have a great idea! We're going out to win the country voters."

"Good idea PM," says Peter. "How will we go about it?"

"Well," says Howard, "We'll get ourselves one of those Driza-Bone coats, some RM Williams boots, an Akubra hat - oh, and a cattle dog. Then we'll really look the part. We'll go out to the bush and win them over."

A few days later, all kitted out and with their blue heeler, they set off from Canberra and go west. Eventually they arrive at an outback pub. They walk in with their dog and up to the bar.

John and Pete lean comfortably on the bar drinking beers and chatting, and nodding now and then to people coming in for a drink. The dog lies quietly at their feet.

Suddenly, the door from the adjacent bar swings open and in comes a grizzled, bow-legged old stockman - complete with stockwhip. He walks up to the Blue Heeler, lifts it's tail with the whip, looks underneath, shrugs, and walks back to the other bar.

A few moments later, in comes another old stockman. He walks up to the dog, lifts its tail, looks underneath, scratches his head and goes back to the other bar.

Over the course of the next hour or so, another four or five stockmen came to check under the Blue Heeler's tail. Each leaves, looking puzzled.

Eventually, Howard and Costello can stand it no longer. They call the barman.

"Tell me," says Howard, "Why did all those stockmen come in and look under the dog's tail like that?

"Aw, mate, It's just that someone went in and told them there was a Blue Heeler in this bar with two arseholes!"