Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

Australian Politics and Policy
most significant of these being the changes in 2003, although all they really did
was codify the core Westminster conventions that the lower house is the house of
government, the upper house is a house of review, and the governor acts on the
advice of the premier.
The significance of change is to be found in the state’s politics and, through
it, the policy debate. The three-way division of the party system after the First
World War led to political volatility and obsession with electoral laws. Planning
anddevelopmentofthestatewaslefttothemajorstatecorporationsthatdelivered
transport, resources and energy and this was to be a feature of the Victorian state
sector until it was comprehensively dismantled by the Kennett government in the
1990s. In the meantime, the Labor split in the 1950s led to one-party government
in Victoria, as a particularly conservative Liberal Party secured a series of election
victories and found little opposition to its agenda from the Legislative Council.
Although the decline of the conservative hegemony started with generational
leadership change in the Liberal Party, the key moment was the election of a
Labor government in 1982. This was significant for two reasons: first, this election
marked the end of Liberal dominance of the state’s politics and the beginning
of a new era where government could be led by either Labor or the Liberals
and Nationals working in coalition. Second, the election of Victoria’s main socialdemocratic
party began the process of converting Victoria from the prohibitionist
conservatism of the Bolte era into a more cosmopolitan and socially progressive
community. The modern Liberal Party has aligned with this, and brought a
commitment to economic liberalisation.
BothLaborandtheCoalitionhaveassistedinthistransformationofVictoria
into a post-industrial economy with a strong reputation for being socially progressive
and remarkably cohesive for a community with such a diversity of ethnic and
racial backgrounds. As with all policy debates, there have been disagreements on
variousaspects,andchallengesariseastohowtocopewiththegrowthofthe
Melbourne metropolis in particular. Despite the decline of manufacturing, the state
continues to be a major driver of the national economy, and the policy-making
process – based on an elected parliament and an extensive if transformed public
sector – has been at the centre of this. Victoria’s record is a confirmation of the
significance of politics, the making of policy, and the importance of state governance
in Australia’s federal system.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2012). Population by age and sex, regions of Australia, 2011 –
Victoria. Cat. No. 3235.0. Canberra: ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/
3235.0~2011~Main+Features~Victoria
Cannon, Michael (1995). The land boomers. Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press.
Conlon, Robert, and John Perkins (2001). Wheelsanddeals:theautomobileindustryintwentieth
century Australia. Oxford: Ashgate.
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