Liberal Rule

The 1996-2007 Howard government made the most determined attempt tochange Australian society since the brief and revolutionary Whitlam eraof the early 1970s. Was it successful?

Weexamine the defining elements of his legacy: economic management,industrial reform, social and cultural reform and the recalibration offoreign policy. These could perhaps be regarded as John Howard’sprincipal policy objectives. By exploring these we reveal the Howardmotivations and strategies and the impact on Australia and its people.

“Ithought it was always important as Prime Minister...to tell a story ofwhat I thought Australia had been, was & could be into the futureand I felt that in the past we ran the risk of allowing the narrativeof Australia to fall into the hands of the left & that was a hugemistake,” John Howard.