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John Howard, ‘The Greatest Political Contributor to Modern Australia’ Howard on Menzies

In the 122 years that have passed since federation, only two of our nation’s leaders have surpassed a decade serving as Prime Minister. It is notable that the second, John Howard, had a great admiration for and partly modelled his conduct on the first and still unsurpassed record holder Sir Robert Menzies. When Howard was Opposition Leader, Paul Keating would taunt him in Parliament for his connection to Menzies – but Howard not only had the last laugh at the 1996 election, but since leaving office he has spearheaded a new awareness of and appreciation for his predecessor, starting with his highly successful 2014 book The Menzies Era. It is in large part because of Howard that Menzies is now widely recognised as the man who ‘shaped modern Australia’.

In this special episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to former Prime Minister John Howard, who gives his personal insights into Menzies’s leadership.

John Howard OM was Australia’s 25th and second longest serving prime minister (1996-2007). He is the author of The Menzies Era, about Australia’s longest serving prime minister, Robert n Menzies, the bestselling autobiography Lazarus Rising, and most recently A Sense of Balance.