The interview was meant to be reflective. John Howard, Australia’s second-longest serving prime minister, sat down with Sky News Australia to mark the 29th anniversary of his 1996 gun reforms—reforms that changed the nation after Port Arthur.
But three days after the horrific Bondi Beach terror attack, where 15 people lost their lives in an antisemitic massacre during a Hanukkah celebration, the conversation took a darker turn.
Howard didn’t hold back.
“You’re a complete phoney,” he said, staring down the barrel of the camera as if addressing Anthony Albanese directly. “Australians can work out a phoney. They can work out when they’re being treated to weasel words.”
The studio fell silent. Host Kieran Gilbert’s eyes widened. Viewers at home froze.
