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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 the story of how the ‘great economic manager’ sold away 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 later 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 against 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. American 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 later 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 against 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. American 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
About the author
Amy Remeikis
8 books32 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 - 30 of 90 reviews
September 20, 2026
Paul Keating – perhaps the Australian prime minister with the best turn of phrase of them all and the one immediately before John Howard – said that ‘the Howard government got hit in the arse with a rainbow’. Keating believed he did all of the hard work of reform and Howard got all of the credit for it. Really, what happened was that Keating started us down the road to neoliberalism and Howard ran rampant as far down that road as he could go.
My brother has a cruder expression for undeserved luck – to be kissed on the dick by a fairy. And this kissing happened quite late in Howard’s life. In fact, one of his most famous quotes came about 5 years before he became prime minister when he was asked if he would ever lead the Liberal Party again, and he replied that for that to happen he would have to be "Lazarus with a triple bypass". He was, and always seemed to me to be one of the least likely people to lead Australia. I’m not going to pretend that I ever liked him or that I am an objective commentator on him, his government or what they did to Australia. And so, this book confirms just about everything I have ever thought about him. I despised him from the beginning, but his introduction of Work Choices sealed his fate for me.
The author of this one mentions the story that Margaret Thatcher, when asked what was her greatest achievement, is supposed to have said Tony Blair. John Howard could just as reasonably say that his greatest achievement is our current Labor prime minister and Labor government. It would be hard to imagine a more cautious and ineffectual government, afraid of its own shadow, even with a massive majority and an opposition not only in disarray, but, as far as anyone can tell, in terminal decline. Lenin is supposed to have said that the distinguishing feature of Australian politics is the strange names of the political parties here – where the Liberals are actually conservatives and the Labor Party is actually liberal. If that wasn’t totally the case in the 1920s, it is certainly the case now. The Labor Party talks of the ‘three parties of the right’ in Australia today – meaning, the Liberals, the Nationals and One Nation. But really, the Labor Party is also on the right too. And a lot of this is due to how expertly Howard was able to normalise culture wars, his attacks on climate change, his determination to tie Australia’s fate to the dying US empire, his weaponising of Australia’s refugee policies, his racist policies towards Aboriginal Australians, his destruction of the Trade Union movement, and on and on. The Labor Party his done so little to reverse these crimes. They have become unrecognisable even from the middle of the road, social democratic party they were in the 1990s – a party that, as I said, started us down the neoliberal road. Who could have thought those might be looked back upon now as the ‘good old days’?
If you are in Australia, you should definitely read this book. It does a lot to undermine the myth that Howard was a great leader and visionary. He was certainly lucky – but, to quote another Australianism – he pissed most of that luck up against a wall. The only good thing he has done for the country is to have smashed the Liberal Party. Every leader of that party after him was worse than he was and worse than the leader that came before them. The problem is that, as I said before, his greatest success was in turning the Labor Party into the conservative party. The names change, the policies stay the same. And there is the tragedy of Australian politics. Many of the things that have gone wrong in Australia date back before Howard – but he does have an awful lot to answer for, all the same.
My brother has a cruder expression for undeserved luck – to be kissed on the dick by a fairy. And this kissing happened quite late in Howard’s life. In fact, one of his most famous quotes came about 5 years before he became prime minister when he was asked if he would ever lead the Liberal Party again, and he replied that for that to happen he would have to be "Lazarus with a triple bypass". He was, and always seemed to me to be one of the least likely people to lead Australia. I’m not going to pretend that I ever liked him or that I am an objective commentator on him, his government or what they did to Australia. And so, this book confirms just about everything I have ever thought about him. I despised him from the beginning, but his introduction of Work Choices sealed his fate for me.
The author of this one mentions the story that Margaret Thatcher, when asked what was her greatest achievement, is supposed to have said Tony Blair. John Howard could just as reasonably say that his greatest achievement is our current Labor prime minister and Labor government. It would be hard to imagine a more cautious and ineffectual government, afraid of its own shadow, even with a massive majority and an opposition not only in disarray, but, as far as anyone can tell, in terminal decline. Lenin is supposed to have said that the distinguishing feature of Australian politics is the strange names of the political parties here – where the Liberals are actually conservatives and the Labor Party is actually liberal. If that wasn’t totally the case in the 1920s, it is certainly the case now. The Labor Party talks of the ‘three parties of the right’ in Australia today – meaning, the Liberals, the Nationals and One Nation. But really, the Labor Party is also on the right too. And a lot of this is due to how expertly Howard was able to normalise culture wars, his attacks on climate change, his determination to tie Australia’s fate to the dying US empire, his weaponising of Australia’s refugee policies, his racist policies towards Aboriginal Australians, his destruction of the Trade Union movement, and on and on. The Labor Party his done so little to reverse these crimes. They have become unrecognisable even from the middle of the road, social democratic party they were in the 1990s – a party that, as I said, started us down the neoliberal road. Who could have thought those might be looked back upon now as the ‘good old days’?
If you are in Australia, you should definitely read this book. It does a lot to undermine the myth that Howard was a great leader and visionary. He was certainly lucky – but, to quote another Australianism – he pissed most of that luck up against a wall. The only good thing he has done for the country is to have smashed the Liberal Party. Every leader of that party after him was worse than he was and worse than the leader that came before them. The problem is that, as I said before, his greatest success was in turning the Labor Party into the conservative party. The names change, the policies stay the same. And there is the tragedy of Australian politics. Many of the things that have gone wrong in Australia date back before Howard – but he does have an awful lot to answer for, all the same.
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.
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 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.
May 26, 2026
I read this in paperback. All twelve chapters are five stars. I had to take a breather between some chapters. A great reference book. A sweet irony, cutting down the legs of Menzies' desk.
"When he became prime minister, . . . upended tradition, . . . removing the specially designed furniture from the prime minister's suite and insisting Robert Menzies's desk be hauled from Old Parliament House and installed in Howard's official office. In a perfect metaphor for how Howard ruled, they didn't care enough about preserving history to ensure it remained untouched. Menzies's desk was for a much taller man and therefore had to be cut down to fit Howard's shorter frame. But for Howard it was the principle."
"When he became prime minister, . . . upended tradition, . . . removing the specially designed furniture from the prime minister's suite and insisting Robert Menzies's desk be hauled from Old Parliament House and installed in Howard's official office. In a perfect metaphor for how Howard ruled, they didn't care enough about preserving history to ensure it remained untouched. Menzies's desk was for a much taller man and therefore had to be cut down to fit Howard's shorter frame. But for Howard it was the principle."
April 5, 2026
3.8/5
Growing up during the 00s, I heard a lot about (and still do) about how well respected a Prime Minister John Howard was. Being too little to understand, and only picking up disjointed snippets of politics coverage on national TV about indigenous rights, or the war "on terror", or carbon emissions trading, this went unquestioned. In more recent times, I've come to know an anti-Howard narrative, framed in the context of Australia's housing woes.
Seeing Amy Remeikis' book on Howard had been released, I was super curious to learn more about what kind of policies Howard put in place, and what kind of person he actually had been as Prime Minister. What I took away from this book is that much of the political & legislative cowardice in the governments succeeding Howard's, can be better described as an unwillingness to challenge Howard's version of Australia: one that neglected Indigenous people, asylum seekers, migrants, the unemployed, the otherwise downtrodden, but gave handouts to corporate interests, employers, and cut accessibility and quality of education. One shudders to think what would have happened if Howard was able to "stab [Medicare] in the guts" like he wanted to. Howard really represented the worst of fearmongering and neoliberalism, seeking to benefit primarily white, middle and upper-class Australia, and screwed over everyone else, while creating the myth that he was batting for the "ordinary" Australian. Remeikis highlights that Howard's effectiveness came from his conviction, and his reasonable facade; he knew which "notes to play" politically.
Remeikis draws a parallel from Margaret Thatcher's assertion that her greatest achievement was "Tony Blair", to today's Labor Party, suggesting that they are indeed Howard's greatest achievement. I have to agree - given the thumping mandate given to Labor in the last federal election, it's mindblowing how impotent the current Labor government have been in the way of reverting Howardian changes that led to our housing crisis, the decline of quality & accessibility in higher education, and the defanging of unions in the country, to name a few things. Legislative cowardice aside, they can't even depart from the Howard-era sycophancy for the United States, being the first to back their and Israel's unprovoked war against Iran (justified with the very creative, as yet unheard of "they're about to get WMDs" line).
Amy Remeikis is armed with data, and each chapter is filled with notes pointing to Howard himself, or journalists at the time, or other publicly available data. Despite that in some instances I found myself lacking context or enough info:
In addition to this, Amy Remeikis' (rightful) frustration really comes through in the form of dripping sarcasm in this book. While I share her frustration at the situations she describes, personally the sarcasm sometimes got in the way of understanding the substance of her argument and the facts she was presenting.
Overall I think this was a really good overview of Howard's policies, and fleshed out a lot of gaps I had in my knowledge about that topic. I would've appreciated a little more deep analysis on how and why parts of his policies persist today, but I can see it would've made for a more laborious (pun intended) read. Instead of a deep, extensive analysis, I would describe this as a primer on the case against Howard, and a good starting point to understand more. Highly recommend this to anyone who's interested in the provenance of modern Australia's struggles.
Growing up during the 00s, I heard a lot about (and still do) about how well respected a Prime Minister John Howard was. Being too little to understand, and only picking up disjointed snippets of politics coverage on national TV about indigenous rights, or the war "on terror", or carbon emissions trading, this went unquestioned. In more recent times, I've come to know an anti-Howard narrative, framed in the context of Australia's housing woes.
Seeing Amy Remeikis' book on Howard had been released, I was super curious to learn more about what kind of policies Howard put in place, and what kind of person he actually had been as Prime Minister. What I took away from this book is that much of the political & legislative cowardice in the governments succeeding Howard's, can be better described as an unwillingness to challenge Howard's version of Australia: one that neglected Indigenous people, asylum seekers, migrants, the unemployed, the otherwise downtrodden, but gave handouts to corporate interests, employers, and cut accessibility and quality of education. One shudders to think what would have happened if Howard was able to "stab [Medicare] in the guts" like he wanted to. Howard really represented the worst of fearmongering and neoliberalism, seeking to benefit primarily white, middle and upper-class Australia, and screwed over everyone else, while creating the myth that he was batting for the "ordinary" Australian. Remeikis highlights that Howard's effectiveness came from his conviction, and his reasonable facade; he knew which "notes to play" politically.
Remeikis draws a parallel from Margaret Thatcher's assertion that her greatest achievement was "Tony Blair", to today's Labor Party, suggesting that they are indeed Howard's greatest achievement. I have to agree - given the thumping mandate given to Labor in the last federal election, it's mindblowing how impotent the current Labor government have been in the way of reverting Howardian changes that led to our housing crisis, the decline of quality & accessibility in higher education, and the defanging of unions in the country, to name a few things. Legislative cowardice aside, they can't even depart from the Howard-era sycophancy for the United States, being the first to back their and Israel's unprovoked war against Iran (justified with the very creative, as yet unheard of "they're about to get WMDs" line).
Amy Remeikis is armed with data, and each chapter is filled with notes pointing to Howard himself, or journalists at the time, or other publicly available data. Despite that in some instances I found myself lacking context or enough info:
"Family reunion visa entries shrank from 80 per cent in 1998 to roughly 20 per cent by 2013."Found myself scratching my head at this wondering "A percentage of what? All visas offered? That doesn't sound right."
In addition to this, Amy Remeikis' (rightful) frustration really comes through in the form of dripping sarcasm in this book. While I share her frustration at the situations she describes, personally the sarcasm sometimes got in the way of understanding the substance of her argument and the facts she was presenting.
Overall I think this was a really good overview of Howard's policies, and fleshed out a lot of gaps I had in my knowledge about that topic. I would've appreciated a little more deep analysis on how and why parts of his policies persist today, but I can see it would've made for a more laborious (pun intended) read. Instead of a deep, extensive analysis, I would describe this as a primer on the case against Howard, and a good starting point to understand more. Highly recommend this to anyone who's interested in the provenance of modern Australia's struggles.
June 18, 2026
If you want to learn how neo-liberalism and conservatism ruined Australia, this book is for you. If you want to know how both of those things came packaged in the person named John Howard, a man who single-handedly destroyed the country, this book is also for you!
Scathing, accurate, astute and witty. Really enjoyed this analysis of Howard and his legacy. We do not hate him enough. This book is split up into different sections, including housing, immigration, social welfare etc etc and goes through each of his policies in the respective areas that make the country worse off today. It’s actually incredibly harrowing to read about how one man managed to stay in power so long and wreak havoc on so many of the good policies set up by governments before. And don’t get me started on the privatisations.
Highly recommend for understanding why the current political landscape in Aus is the way it is.
Scathing, accurate, astute and witty. Really enjoyed this analysis of Howard and his legacy. We do not hate him enough. This book is split up into different sections, including housing, immigration, social welfare etc etc and goes through each of his policies in the respective areas that make the country worse off today. It’s actually incredibly harrowing to read about how one man managed to stay in power so long and wreak havoc on so many of the good policies set up by governments before. And don’t get me started on the privatisations.
Highly recommend for understanding why the current political landscape in Aus is the way it is.
April 26, 2026
A little superficial. Would have liked more historical context, global comparisons and detailed analysis.
March 9, 2026
Great book that reminds us that we really don't hate John Howard anywhere enough and he deserves so much more.
May 3, 2026
For the past two decades the Liberal Party of Australia, by incrementally rewriting history, have gradually transformed the Prime Ministership of John Howard (1996-2007) into a supposed mythical golden age in Australia. Simultaneously over that same period, Australia has been spiralling into social, cultural, and economic decline as a direct result of the deliberate legacy policies and cultural shifts wrought by John Howard. In ‘Where It All Went Wrong: The Case Against John Howard’, journalist Amy Remekis holds Howard to account for our myriad of modern crises: the current housing crisis; culture wars; hateful societal division; wealth inequality; the cost of living crisis; immigration and indigenous racism; spiralling national debt; climate change inaction and power costs; prohibitive education costs; declining educational standards; prohibitive childcare costs; and the gradual privatisation of our health system. The author factually and convincingly shows that Howard, through his extreme conservatism and philosophy of economic rationalism set the nation up to fail. In fact, the author suggests there are also many other additional crises which she chooses not to explore (which begs the question, why?) Frustratingly, in this Trumpian age where truth matters so little and the electorate is disengaged, this important and confronting book will probably only be read by those who already are aware of the utter destruction caused by John Howard and his government, whereas this book should actually be essential reading for all Australians.
August 5, 2026
This is an accessible (read: truly millennial, with a smattering of “lol” and “soz” throughout) book about the conservative Prime Ministership of John Howard, that challenges traditional notions about his politico-cultural legacy in Australia. It does, however, read (although the audiobook perhaps helped with this) like pages upon pages of enraged leftist finger pointing (from a left woman herself), with limited engagement in Howard’s tangible legacy in contemporary politics, as the blurb suggests. Instead, it should be read as an introduction to the conservative politics of a Howard government, to be used as a stepping stone for young people to engage with Australian political history from their tiktok feed to to a (somewhat) academic text. For that, it gets a secure middle of the road rating for me.
I do, however, have to acknowledge a blaring omission by Remeikis which brings it down to 2 ⭐️: Liberal women under Howard’s leadership. Women’s representation and status in the Liberal Party, or their “women problem” in short, was presented as the major catalyst for the party’s recent federal electoral loss. Liberal women in Howard’s government like Amanda Vanstone, and those who came after, i.e. the first female leader Susan Ley, were second thoughts this analysis. If this interests you, Blair Williams has a comprehensive open-access journal article on Howard’s legacy in their “women problem”, which I highly recommend https://doi.org/10.1111/ajph.70007
I do, however, have to acknowledge a blaring omission by Remeikis which brings it down to 2 ⭐️: Liberal women under Howard’s leadership. Women’s representation and status in the Liberal Party, or their “women problem” in short, was presented as the major catalyst for the party’s recent federal electoral loss. Liberal women in Howard’s government like Amanda Vanstone, and those who came after, i.e. the first female leader Susan Ley, were second thoughts this analysis. If this interests you, Blair Williams has a comprehensive open-access journal article on Howard’s legacy in their “women problem”, which I highly recommend https://doi.org/10.1111/ajph.70007
July 11, 2026
I had to keep putting this book down every so often because it just made me so angry, remembering all the things Howard did and the legacy he left for us - his mark is on every problem our country has now. Ugh enraging.
June 23, 2026
good morning to everyone except john howard
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.
March 26, 2026
I always believed that the genius of John Howard was that he convinced every day Australian’s that he was on their side when the opposite was true.
Amy’s deep dive into the dark corners of John Howard’s time as Prime Minister is mind blowing 🤯
There doesn’t seem to be anything left unscathed- current issues such as childcare, aged care, housing, lack of action on environmental issues, lack of social cohesion, racism, rise of far right extremism……..all the worse for Howard’s policies.
Amy’s deep dive into the dark corners of John Howard’s time as Prime Minister is mind blowing 🤯
There doesn’t seem to be anything left unscathed- current issues such as childcare, aged care, housing, lack of action on environmental issues, lack of social cohesion, racism, rise of far right extremism……..all the worse for Howard’s policies.
April 20, 2026
WOW I HATE HIM
April 7, 2026
I went to high school with a kid named Bradman, who I hated. His parents must have hated him even more to be hitching him to Howard nationalism for the rest of his life.
May 17, 2026
Want to give it four stars but a superficial analysis of the Howard era. Needs more data and less polemical ranting about the consequences and failings of that era.
March 12, 2026
Where It All Went Wrong is an informative but confronting examination of the many structures in modern Australia that can be traced back to decisions made during the Howard era, spanning areas including housing, foreign policy, welfare, industrial relations, and broader political culture.
Whilst the book was undeniably well-researched and informative, it was not always an enjoyable read, leaning more toward political indictment than unbiased and reflective analysis. However, it does provide a compelling analysis of the lasting influence of Howard's worldview, offering a perspective that encourages readers to think more critically of a relatively stable period of political history in recent times.
Whilst the book was undeniably well-researched and informative, it was not always an enjoyable read, leaning more toward political indictment than unbiased and reflective analysis. However, it does provide a compelling analysis of the lasting influence of Howard's worldview, offering a perspective that encourages readers to think more critically of a relatively stable period of political history in recent times.
April 4, 2026
A breazy read, introducing a new generation to former Prime Minister John Howard's many shortcomings. Chapters on the economy, housing, and immigration are particularly excellent.
But an overview it is - often asserting its points more than arguing, and seemingly based almost solely on secondary sources. And if "?utm_source=chatgpt.com" means anything to you, you'll share my disappointment with one of the footnotes!
That said, as someone who lived through Howard, my impression is I'm not the target audience for this book - and as a summary across his most noxious contributions to Australia it is wholly effective.
But an overview it is - often asserting its points more than arguing, and seemingly based almost solely on secondary sources. And if "?utm_source=chatgpt.com" means anything to you, you'll share my disappointment with one of the footnotes!
That said, as someone who lived through Howard, my impression is I'm not the target audience for this book - and as a summary across his most noxious contributions to Australia it is wholly effective.
September 29, 2026
I grew up under the John Howard government, and while I didn't know much about what came before, I felt the character of the country shift in real-time. Remeikis’s Where It All Went Wrong cuts straight to the heart of the Howard years, putting into sharp, articulate focus what so many of us felt happening to Australia during those years.
For me, the defining memory of my teens was marching in my first protest, opposing Howard dragging Australia into the war in Iraq. That moment was an early awakening to a government that traded empathy for hostility. As Remeikis argues, the true legacy of the Howard years isn't just measured in the economic booms of the time (which he squandered), but in how “He gutted the nation's soul… made us crueler and suspicious of others, jealous for what we didn't have and angry at those who had less.”
What makes this book essential reading is how unflinchingly it connects those formative years to the compounding crises we are living through right now. You can trace a direct, unbroken line from the foundational wedge politics and economic orthodoxies of that era to today's landscape: the worsening housing crisis, a growing racial divide laid bare by the failure of The Voice referendum, the deliberate destabilisation of unions, and the slow bleed of workers' rights leading to chronic wage stagnation. Compounding this is a neutered Labor Party, too frightened to rock the boat, leaving a vacuum where real vision should be.
This isn’t just a look back at political history, of how “we fell into a cultural recession and moral deficit under his government”; it’s an urgent diagnosis of why Australia feels so broken in the present. Essential reading for anyone trying to understand how we got here.
For me, the defining memory of my teens was marching in my first protest, opposing Howard dragging Australia into the war in Iraq. That moment was an early awakening to a government that traded empathy for hostility. As Remeikis argues, the true legacy of the Howard years isn't just measured in the economic booms of the time (which he squandered), but in how “He gutted the nation's soul… made us crueler and suspicious of others, jealous for what we didn't have and angry at those who had less.”
What makes this book essential reading is how unflinchingly it connects those formative years to the compounding crises we are living through right now. You can trace a direct, unbroken line from the foundational wedge politics and economic orthodoxies of that era to today's landscape: the worsening housing crisis, a growing racial divide laid bare by the failure of The Voice referendum, the deliberate destabilisation of unions, and the slow bleed of workers' rights leading to chronic wage stagnation. Compounding this is a neutered Labor Party, too frightened to rock the boat, leaving a vacuum where real vision should be.
This isn’t just a look back at political history, of how “we fell into a cultural recession and moral deficit under his government”; it’s an urgent diagnosis of why Australia feels so broken in the present. Essential reading for anyone trying to understand how we got here.
August 29, 2026
Amy Remeikis has succinctly described how John Howard successfully caused lasting damage in Australia thanks to a series of single-minded, poorly designed policy failures. From tax to immigration to workplace relations to welfare to immigration, the author expertly describes how this man's decisions - firmed up by his skewed view of what is 'right' - caused lasting problems which are still being unpicked today by successive governments. Howard came to power when I was leaving high school and all these years later, I now see the problems he created with more clarity thanks to this detailed and well-researched analysis. A common thread is Howard's desire for Australians to be 'relaxed and comfortable' but as the book shows, in reality, this really only applies to middle-to-upper class people who Howard perceive as being 'right' or 'deserving'. I loved this line: "Such is the Howard legacy - compassion, empathy and assistance are contingent on whether someone else thinks you deserve it, with the people enforcing the judgements usually the ones the safety net was originally built to catch". This book really is a 'how not to' guide for leading a country - regardless of your political tendency.
April 11, 2026
Attack the outcomes and you attack the man. This is a powerful dismantling of the legend that is John Howard, a man who created a mythology about Australia that is still maintained and believed today. The pains of the past still felt today and that future leaders will be apologising for.
Amy presents a need for someone to step up and be the nation changing leader that Howard was. Whether that will ever happen, I doubt it.
Great stuff.
Amy presents a need for someone to step up and be the nation changing leader that Howard was. Whether that will ever happen, I doubt it.
Great stuff.
May 29, 2026
Massive fan of a good old fashioned, well researched political rinsing. Immediately started reading again once I finished with the highlighter and sticky notes.
June 6, 2026
Thank you, Amy, for reminding me I’ve been a hater from a young age. Ruddock, Reith, Costello, Vanstone, Brough, Hockey. Names I had all but forgotten, brought back to the forefront of my mind. My husband enjoyed my many expletive filled exclamations while I devoured this book. And to the craven, gutless, impotent, modern Labor Party, take a fucking hint.
July 4, 2026
as a left leaning lady i agree with everything in the book
August 8, 2026
i enjoyed this but i think the authors desire to convey her frustration with howard sometimes overshadowed the actual policy analysis itself, but it is obviously well researched
March 19, 2026
This book confirms much of what I already knew and deeply believed, so, preaching to the choir, but it was delicious
July 16, 2026
Light holiday reading 🤥
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