Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

Australian Politics and Policy
office under General Secretary John Carrick developed a more co-ordinated
statewide organisational structure than the UAP had achieved or even desired. 35
The Liberal Party suffered from several long-term problems. Its leaders were
no match for able ALP premiers like Joe Cahill. The parliamentary party was
internally divided and was often in conflict with the machine. Relations with the
Country Party were poisonous. Like others in the NSW Liberal Party, Carrick’s
main emphasis was the national contest, where the party quickly showed it could
defeat Labor. The NSW Party finally found a successful leader in the long-serving
and popular Robert Askin (deputy leader 1954–59; opposition leader 1959–65;
premier 1965–75). His government was initially innovative, establishing a Law
Reform Commission, Ombudsman and Consumer Claims Tribunal. However, it
became noticeably lethargic in its final years.
Subsequently, the Liberals have struggled to find leaders who have been able to
dominate NSW politics for long periods in a similar way to Labor Premiers Wran
and Carr. Recurrent factional conflicts within the party since the 1980s have added
to these difficulties. 36 These problems have dogged the Liberals in office, although
relationsbetweentheCoalitionpartnershavebeenstable.
Since their landslide election win in 2011, the Liberals have had three premiers,
with the transitions being smoothly managed. Barry O’Farrell (2011–14), after
a capable and reformist beginning, was forced to resign over a minor scandal
involving a gift. His successor, Mike Baird (2014–17), for a time the most popular
premier in Australia, retired from politics after less than three years because of a
backlash over decisions to ban greyhound racing and amalgamate local councils.
His replacement, Gladys Berejiklian (2017–) halted the government’s sliding
fortunes in 2019 and became the first woman to lead a party to election victory in
NSW.
The previous period of Liberal-led government (1988–95) saw the premiership
of Nick Greiner (1988–92) cut short following an ill-advised government appointment.
37 While Liberal premiers have certainly helped to reshape NSW politics and
public policy – Greiner was the driving force behind the sweeping public sector
microeconomic reforms that later came to dominate Australian approaches to
government 38 – they have generally had less impact than their Labor counterparts.
Throughout the postwar period, the ‘country’ partner in the NSW Coalition
has proved remarkably resilient in the face of a declining rural economy, longterm
population drift to urban centres and periodic challenges from independents,
minor parties and even its Liberal ally. This resilience has been due to a mix of
adaptation–themostobvioussignofwhichwasanamechangefromtheCountry
35 Hancock 2007; Starr 2012.
36 Nelson 1985b; Smith 2012a; West 1965.
37 Hancock 2013.
38 Laffin and Painter 1995.
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