Howard (well, Costello) was a good economic manager but crap economic reformer.
Keating was a crap economic manager but brilliant economic reformer.
Howard's main claim to fame in reforming was the GST...all it did was replace a bunch of inefficient taxes...an administrative reform that didn't really improve our competitiveness or quality of life.
Keating floated the dollar, liberalized the financial markets, introduced superannuation. He also introduced the four pillar banking policy that probably saved our banking system (more than anything else) from the GFC.
