Peter Garrett is a well-known left-wing activist

Mr Howard told ABC radio his favourite song by the disbanded group was Beds are Burning, which calls on Australia to give land back to the Aborigines.

Mr Howard was speaking after the group's former front man, Peter Garrett, was invited by the Labor opposition to stand as its candidate in forthcoming elections.

The time has come, a fact's a fact. It belongs to them, let's give it back Beds are Burning

Following the invitation, Mr Garrett applied to join the Labor Party on Wednesday.

Labor's national executive will meet on Friday to discuss installing Mr Garrett in the Labor-safe seat of Kingsford-Smith in Sydney.

The issue has provoked a political row in Australia.

Mr Garrett, a high-profile environmental activist, stood for the Nuclear Disarmament Party in a federal Senate (upper house) election in the 1980s, but was narrowly defeated.

"The thing for the Labor Party always is to have the best calibre members and the best team," said senior Labor frontbencher Julia Gillard.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has warned that the move could harm Australia's alliance with the United States.

Midnight Oil released an anti-American military anthem in 1983 called US Forces.