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Where It All Went Wrong: The case against John Howard
On the thirtieth anniversary of John Howard coming to power, a searing analysis of the untouchable prime how the ‘great economic manager’ sold our future.
John Howard is often revered as one of the great Australian prime ministers (1996–2007): economically prudent, politically astute, ‘relaxed and comfortable’ with Australia’s identity, venerated by the Liberal Party and grudgingly admired by the left.
Why then – just twenty years after his government ended – are we in such a mess?
Amy Remeikis is one of our most astute and convincing political commentators, and here she argues for a complete revision of how we see Howard’s tenure, for the first time holding him to account for the future he created. Of our modern crises, most are caused by his policies. Housing crisis? Guilty. Work insecurity? Guilty. Giving away gas? Guilty. Climate denial? Guilty. Rise of the far right? Guilty. America's lapdog in foreign relations? Guilty. Jingoistic tracksuits and flag-wrapping? Guilty and convicted.
Far from being ‘great economic managers’, the Howard government bought boomer votes with franking credits and negative gearing, sacrificing the generations now inheriting the nation. They sold out their children and grandchildren for mining billionaires, investment properties and annual cruises.
Amy Remeikis is the highly informed voice of these dispossessed generations. In showing us where it all went wrong, she illuminates the path to a better future.
John Howard is often revered as one of the great Australian prime ministers (1996–2007): economically prudent, politically astute, ‘relaxed and comfortable’ with Australia’s identity, venerated by the Liberal Party and grudgingly admired by the left.
Why then – just twenty years after his government ended – are we in such a mess?
Amy Remeikis is one of our most astute and convincing political commentators, and here she argues for a complete revision of how we see Howard’s tenure, for the first time holding him to account for the future he created. Of our modern crises, most are caused by his policies. Housing crisis? Guilty. Work insecurity? Guilty. Giving away gas? Guilty. Climate denial? Guilty. Rise of the far right? Guilty. America's lapdog in foreign relations? Guilty. Jingoistic tracksuits and flag-wrapping? Guilty and convicted.
Far from being ‘great economic managers’, the Howard government bought boomer votes with franking credits and negative gearing, sacrificing the generations now inheriting the nation. They sold out their children and grandchildren for mining billionaires, investment properties and annual cruises.
Amy Remeikis is the highly informed voice of these dispossessed generations. In showing us where it all went wrong, she illuminates the path to a better future.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 24, 2026
34 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Amy Remeikis
8 books24 followersAmy Remeikis is a political journalist, author and commentator who covered Parliament for the Guardian Australia and regularly appears on ABC radio and TV and The Project on Channel Ten. She is Chief Political Strategist at The Australia Institute.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 6, 2026
I am an American who didn't even know who John Howard was going into this. However, I will read any and everything Amy Remeikis writes and I recommend others do the same. This is well-researched, engaging, and enraging. For those that are saying it leans "too" angry - I recommend her upcoming book Screw Nice.
March 4, 2026
This book challenges the legacy of John Howard, who is considered by many to be 'Australia's Greatest Prime Minister'. It breaks down many of his 'achievements' and explains that they are either complete myths, or worse, are actually the genesis of so many of our problems today.
Let's start with the obvious one, that he and the LNP are 'superior economic managers'. Keating has described the 'double rainbow' Howard and Costello were smacked on the arse with, being global economic growth, and the property/mining boom happening at the same time. These economic factors were happening anyway regardless of who was in the drivers seat, so to give credit for economic growth to Howard is nonsensical. In fact, Australia UNDERPERFORMED against OECD growth rates during Howards era. This tells us he actually squandered the opportunity by choosing to line the pockets large businesses and the wealthy, rather than reinvesting in the country.
Speaking of - his introduction of the Capital Gains Tax discount has royally screwed the housing market. This coupled with free reign for investors to hoard properties using negative gearing to offset losses means generations (plural) will never own a house. The CGT discount remains to this day is probably the most damning thing Howard did.
There is a lot more. As CEO of culture wars and master of the dog whistle, under Howard there was a huge increase in the fetishisation of the flag, Australia Day, and Anzac Day. Remeikis points out the hypocrisy of Howard's suggestion that we as a nation should not take responsibility for our past sins, yet we are allowed to bask in the glory of our 'good' history.
Remeikis covers it all, migration, privatisation, industrial relations, our relationship with the US. The worst parts of each were instigated or accelerated by the Howard government.
I do try to think of myself as a pragmatic voter than can see all sides but honestly the more you think about it, the more difficult it is to identify anything positive the Coalition has contributed to Australian society over the last 40 years. Medicare, superannuation, floating the AUD was all Labor. Every 'achievement' of the coalition is either attributable to macro / global economic factors that would have occurred even if my dog was PM, or was a short term sugar hit that has come back to bite us.
Howard's legacy is creating a situation that has 1) forced the Coalition to implode on itself, and 2) forced Labor to become a centrist (at best) party. This is a grand success for elites and the wealthy, and nightmare for literally everyone else.
Chat are we cooked.
8/10 --> 4 stars.
Let's start with the obvious one, that he and the LNP are 'superior economic managers'. Keating has described the 'double rainbow' Howard and Costello were smacked on the arse with, being global economic growth, and the property/mining boom happening at the same time. These economic factors were happening anyway regardless of who was in the drivers seat, so to give credit for economic growth to Howard is nonsensical. In fact, Australia UNDERPERFORMED against OECD growth rates during Howards era. This tells us he actually squandered the opportunity by choosing to line the pockets large businesses and the wealthy, rather than reinvesting in the country.
Speaking of - his introduction of the Capital Gains Tax discount has royally screwed the housing market. This coupled with free reign for investors to hoard properties using negative gearing to offset losses means generations (plural) will never own a house. The CGT discount remains to this day is probably the most damning thing Howard did.
There is a lot more. As CEO of culture wars and master of the dog whistle, under Howard there was a huge increase in the fetishisation of the flag, Australia Day, and Anzac Day. Remeikis points out the hypocrisy of Howard's suggestion that we as a nation should not take responsibility for our past sins, yet we are allowed to bask in the glory of our 'good' history.
Remeikis covers it all, migration, privatisation, industrial relations, our relationship with the US. The worst parts of each were instigated or accelerated by the Howard government.
I do try to think of myself as a pragmatic voter than can see all sides but honestly the more you think about it, the more difficult it is to identify anything positive the Coalition has contributed to Australian society over the last 40 years. Medicare, superannuation, floating the AUD was all Labor. Every 'achievement' of the coalition is either attributable to macro / global economic factors that would have occurred even if my dog was PM, or was a short term sugar hit that has come back to bite us.
Howard's legacy is creating a situation that has 1) forced the Coalition to implode on itself, and 2) forced Labor to become a centrist (at best) party. This is a grand success for elites and the wealthy, and nightmare for literally everyone else.
Chat are we cooked.
8/10 --> 4 stars.
Review of advance copy
As someone in their early 40s, a self-described "Social Democrat," I agree with most of the book's broad arguments, albeit less stridently than Remeikis.
The book reads like a very well-written polemic, which may be its intent. Regardless, it should have aimed higher.
I understand that this book is intended for someone younger than me, who didn't come of age in the Howard era. However, the book requires sophisticated political knowledge, and those interested in reading it would likely already have a position on the Howard Government. Consequently, the book will not change anyone's opinion on the subject.
This book is also an argument for why the retrospective of a government, particularly one lasting 11 years, cannot be the size of a novella.
While the book does a sufficient job of placing Howard's legacy in the context of modern Australia, it does a poor job of placing its ideology and policy objectives in historical context. The book would be better served if it spent a few chapters at the beginning assessing how Howard was influenced by the governments of Thatcher and Reagan, the reforms of "Rogernomics" in New Zealand, and, yes, even the Hawke and Keating Governments.
This context is particularly lacking when the book describes the trajectory of social policy in Australia. It was the economic rationalist policies of Hawke and Keating that entrenched the free market in this country, and set the stage for Remeikis's criticisms of the decay in housing, childcare, health, education, and employment.
Of course, Howard continued to open these floodgates, adding even more water. As Remeikis writes, Howard also put his own ideological spin on Australian culture, shaping it and stamping his view of it on the historical record.
The book is at its best when discussing economic policy. The strength of that chapter summarises the work of earlier writers such as George Megalogenis and Paul Kelly, arguing that Howard's economic record is one of good fortune, rather than of good management, thanks to the efforts of his predecessors. The chapter stresses that Howard was in the right place at the right time. It's a point that could have been made more explicitly across the entire book.
There is no doubt that Howard remains the dominant figure who has shaped this generation. However, his influence was cemented through his political acumen rather than continuing policy reforms that had already begun across the globe. You can see flashes of a good book at times, but to do a proper job, its length needed to be doubled, or at the very least increased by a third. Context matters, especially when assessing a government one generation removed, which won four consecutive elections. For this reason, Remeikis only skims the surface of John Howard’s influence on Australian society.
The book reads like a very well-written polemic, which may be its intent. Regardless, it should have aimed higher.
I understand that this book is intended for someone younger than me, who didn't come of age in the Howard era. However, the book requires sophisticated political knowledge, and those interested in reading it would likely already have a position on the Howard Government. Consequently, the book will not change anyone's opinion on the subject.
This book is also an argument for why the retrospective of a government, particularly one lasting 11 years, cannot be the size of a novella.
While the book does a sufficient job of placing Howard's legacy in the context of modern Australia, it does a poor job of placing its ideology and policy objectives in historical context. The book would be better served if it spent a few chapters at the beginning assessing how Howard was influenced by the governments of Thatcher and Reagan, the reforms of "Rogernomics" in New Zealand, and, yes, even the Hawke and Keating Governments.
This context is particularly lacking when the book describes the trajectory of social policy in Australia. It was the economic rationalist policies of Hawke and Keating that entrenched the free market in this country, and set the stage for Remeikis's criticisms of the decay in housing, childcare, health, education, and employment.
Of course, Howard continued to open these floodgates, adding even more water. As Remeikis writes, Howard also put his own ideological spin on Australian culture, shaping it and stamping his view of it on the historical record.
The book is at its best when discussing economic policy. The strength of that chapter summarises the work of earlier writers such as George Megalogenis and Paul Kelly, arguing that Howard's economic record is one of good fortune, rather than of good management, thanks to the efforts of his predecessors. The chapter stresses that Howard was in the right place at the right time. It's a point that could have been made more explicitly across the entire book.
There is no doubt that Howard remains the dominant figure who has shaped this generation. However, his influence was cemented through his political acumen rather than continuing policy reforms that had already begun across the globe. You can see flashes of a good book at times, but to do a proper job, its length needed to be doubled, or at the very least increased by a third. Context matters, especially when assessing a government one generation removed, which won four consecutive elections. For this reason, Remeikis only skims the surface of John Howard’s influence on Australian society.
March 1, 2026
Remeikis doesn’t just revisit the legacy of John Howard. She systematically addresses the issues that Australia faces today and the role that Howard played in their architecture. Housing crisis, culture wars, racial tension, immigration scapegoating, work insecurity, climate inaction, and more. This book is uncompromising. Succinct analysis rather than wistfully looking back on ‘the good ole days’.
What I loved most?
✨ The way Remeikis balances rigorous research with readable prose. It is accessible but not dumbed down.
✨ Her unflinching willingness to challenge the “untouchable” narratives around Howard’s legacy.
✨ How this book made me reflect differently on Australia’s political trajectory.
If you care about Australian politics, history, or social justice, add this one to your shelf. It’s compelling, provocative, and so relevant to today’s debates.
What I loved most?
✨ The way Remeikis balances rigorous research with readable prose. It is accessible but not dumbed down.
✨ Her unflinching willingness to challenge the “untouchable” narratives around Howard’s legacy.
✨ How this book made me reflect differently on Australia’s political trajectory.
If you care about Australian politics, history, or social justice, add this one to your shelf. It’s compelling, provocative, and so relevant to today’s debates.
February 27, 2026
for a book that holds an almost identical view on howard to myself, i'm surprised by how difficult i found this to read. this is a very, very angry book, and while that anger is justified and entirely understandable, it's hard to read in long stretches without needing to take a break and do something a bit less depressing.
this is probably in part due to the medium i read the book in - an audiobook. the book was read by remeikis herself and, well, she probably should have gotten someone else to do it. not that she has a bad voice or that it's inherently inappropriate to read your own book, but the book is clearly a deeply personal one and her anger comes across very strongly. this might be energising to another reader, i found it made reading a bit of a chore. beyond this, the actual recording of the audiobook changes tone DRAMATICALLY between chapters, with remeikis speaking in a relatively heated tone at the end of one chapter and then sounding almost sedated in comparison when the next one comes around. combined with a few odd mispronunciations of words, it feels like the direction for the audiobook was not particularly good. i recognise that this is a fairly minor criticism but it did add to the overall difficulty in reading the book
luckily you aren't dealing with those issues for too long, because the book itself is quite short. this isn't a good thing. remeikis mentions at the end that there are many other things she could have covered; it's hard to see why she didn't. if you're essentially firing this book at howard's position in australian political history, why not use every piece of ammunition you've got? the stuff that's there is good and is quite frustrating to relive (especially because i read howards biography this year and being reminded what a turd he is is a fresh wound), why not keep going?
the real saving grace of the book is that, of course, remeikis is entirely correct. every point she makes is backed up with examples, there is a wealth of them, and they paint a dramatically unappealing picture of howard. the content itself is damning and it's essentially just listing his actions and the subsequent consequences. it's well structured and serves as a good primer on howard's more egregious decisions. they work well to express the book's core thesis that howard is essentially seen as being almost apolitical these days, given his success in reframing his personal beliefs as being the default state that any changes need to be considered against. it would take a particularly intransigent reader to come away from this book taking any other position
it does feel like the book is aimed at a certain reader, in fact almost a specific person. this is a 200 page letter to anthony albanese telling him to please, please, PLEASE do something about any of the myriad problems that howard has left and which labor has left essentially untouched. if the broad strokes of the book are that howard used his unprecedented power to reshape the country in his image, then the flip side of that coin is that it would be fucking sick if albo would try and do something similar with labor values. the anger that undergirds the entire book isn't just for howard, you can sense a frustrated labor believer in the subtext, wondering aloud in increasingly frustrated terms why labor seems incapable of doing anything to dismantle howard's legacy. again, it's hard to disagree
this is a good book, and probably a better one if you actually read a physical copy rather than the audiobook. while it could be longer, the points it raises are valid and well argued - wanting more of a book is hardly a scathing criticism. the anger that runs throughout it is justified, and while it is sometimes a slightly uncomfortable read it's one that is likely going to become the standard for discussion of howard and his legacy. definitely recommend if you're considering reading it, if you're interested in australian politics you're probably going to be hearing about it anyway
this is probably in part due to the medium i read the book in - an audiobook. the book was read by remeikis herself and, well, she probably should have gotten someone else to do it. not that she has a bad voice or that it's inherently inappropriate to read your own book, but the book is clearly a deeply personal one and her anger comes across very strongly. this might be energising to another reader, i found it made reading a bit of a chore. beyond this, the actual recording of the audiobook changes tone DRAMATICALLY between chapters, with remeikis speaking in a relatively heated tone at the end of one chapter and then sounding almost sedated in comparison when the next one comes around. combined with a few odd mispronunciations of words, it feels like the direction for the audiobook was not particularly good. i recognise that this is a fairly minor criticism but it did add to the overall difficulty in reading the book
luckily you aren't dealing with those issues for too long, because the book itself is quite short. this isn't a good thing. remeikis mentions at the end that there are many other things she could have covered; it's hard to see why she didn't. if you're essentially firing this book at howard's position in australian political history, why not use every piece of ammunition you've got? the stuff that's there is good and is quite frustrating to relive (especially because i read howards biography this year and being reminded what a turd he is is a fresh wound), why not keep going?
the real saving grace of the book is that, of course, remeikis is entirely correct. every point she makes is backed up with examples, there is a wealth of them, and they paint a dramatically unappealing picture of howard. the content itself is damning and it's essentially just listing his actions and the subsequent consequences. it's well structured and serves as a good primer on howard's more egregious decisions. they work well to express the book's core thesis that howard is essentially seen as being almost apolitical these days, given his success in reframing his personal beliefs as being the default state that any changes need to be considered against. it would take a particularly intransigent reader to come away from this book taking any other position
it does feel like the book is aimed at a certain reader, in fact almost a specific person. this is a 200 page letter to anthony albanese telling him to please, please, PLEASE do something about any of the myriad problems that howard has left and which labor has left essentially untouched. if the broad strokes of the book are that howard used his unprecedented power to reshape the country in his image, then the flip side of that coin is that it would be fucking sick if albo would try and do something similar with labor values. the anger that undergirds the entire book isn't just for howard, you can sense a frustrated labor believer in the subtext, wondering aloud in increasingly frustrated terms why labor seems incapable of doing anything to dismantle howard's legacy. again, it's hard to disagree
this is a good book, and probably a better one if you actually read a physical copy rather than the audiobook. while it could be longer, the points it raises are valid and well argued - wanting more of a book is hardly a scathing criticism. the anger that runs throughout it is justified, and while it is sometimes a slightly uncomfortable read it's one that is likely going to become the standard for discussion of howard and his legacy. definitely recommend if you're considering reading it, if you're interested in australian politics you're probably going to be hearing about it anyway
March 9, 2026
Great book that reminds us that we really don't hate John Howard anywhere enough and he deserves so much more.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews