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

We examine the defining elements of his legacy: economic management, industrial reform, social and cultural reform and the recalibration of foreign policy. These could perhaps be regarded as John Howard’s principal policy objectives. By exploring these we reveal the Howard motivations and strategies and the impact on Australia and its people.

“I thought it was always important as Prime Minister...to tell a story of what I thought Australia had been, was & could be into the future and I felt that in the past we ran the risk of allowing the narrative of Australia to fall into the hands of the left & that was a huge mistake,” John Howard.