Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

Australian Politics and Policy
was basically that of co-ordinator and regulator of what was otherwise a private
construction program.
The ‘City-link’ project was the harbinger of a new approach to infrastructure
provision that was to be adopted by governments that succeeded the Kennett
administration. This included Labor governments, none of which reversed the
privatisations undertaken by Kennett with the exception of some rural and regional
passenger rail services. The Bracks and Brumby Labor governments developed
the concept of the ‘public–private partnership’ as the basis for constructing the
major ‘East-link’ tolled freeway between Ringwood and Frankston and a major
water desalination plant at Wonthaggi in south Gippsland. The Andrews Labor
governmentusedreceiptsfromthesaleofthePortofMelbourneCorporationto
fund a major underground rail project and an underground connector for the West
Gate Freeway (another privately constructed road with tolls).
This by no means exhaustive list of infrastructure projects commissioned by
both Labor and Coalition governments provides an insight into contemporary
thinking about the role of government and the public sector in the state’s political
economy. The previous method of creating large statutory corporations to build
and run infrastructure has been replaced by a preference for private interests
undertaking construction and operation of roads, rail and ports. The state sector’s
role is to decide what projects will be undertaken and then establish regulatory
regimes by which the functions performed by private providers can be overseen. In
some instances statutory bodies will also ensure the compliance of private providers
in relation to meeting social obligations: energy companies, for example, are
overseen by energy industry regulators and consumer watchdogs. The role of the
state sector has moved towards co-ordination and regulation as well as assisting
ministerial departments to formulate policy advice to government. In this respect,
the state sector is still a vital component of Victoria’s political economy, notwithstanding
the extent of the privatisation that has occurred since the 1990s.
Social policy
The transition in policy approach overseen by successive Victorian governments
since the 1980s has been even more starkly evident in the realm of social policy. The
retirement of Liberal premier Henry Bolte in 1972 marked the turning point. Under
Bolte, Victoria had capital punishment; homosexuality and pregnancy terminations
were illegal (this led to a network of ‘backyard’ abortion providers which, in turn,
led to the corruption of sections of the police); prostitution was illegal; shops closed
at 5.30 pm and did not open on Sundays, restaurants were not permitted to sell
alcohol and hotels had to close by 10 pm. There was scant weekend trading, there
were few conservation constraints on developers, urban planning laws prohibited
residential development in the central business district, and the only gaming
permittedwasthatrunbytheTotalisatorAgencyBoardandappliedonlytohorse
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