The Howard Effect: In the Shadows of the Australian Dream

E1838 - The Howard Effect: In the Shadows of the Australian Dream

Published: March 3, 2026

Duration: 20:21

It’s just over two years into his first term and John Howard is taking the country to another election. In that short time he has seized the mantle of economic credibility away from Labor and rewritten the argument about who could be trusted to manage the economy. 

The memory of Labor's reforms while in government were suddenly distant, and the constant reminder of the devastating recession of the 90s were kept fresh in the mind of voters by Howard and his treasurer Peter Costello.

Economic Management became the major selling point for Howard in eve...