Jeff Kennett

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Jeff Kennett

43rd Premier of Victoria
In office 1992 – 1999
Deputy	Pat McNamara
Preceded by	Joan Kirner
Succeeded by	Steve Bracks

Born	July 25, 1948 Melbourne, Victoria
Constituency	Burwood
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Spouse	Felicity
Profession	Businessman

Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC (born 25 July 1948), Australian politician, was one of the most influential and controversial men to hold the office of Premier of Victoria (6th October, 1992 to 20th October, 1999).

1 Early life
2 Political career
3 Life after politics
4 Further reading
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Early life

Kennett was born in Melbourne and educated at Scotch College. Kennett was an unexceptional student academically, but did well in Scotch's Cadet Corps. By way of humour, Kennett was also ribbed for his hair which became a feature in later cartoon portrayals. However, his failure to rise above the middle band academically almost led him to quit school in Fourth Form (Year 10 - 1963), but he was persuaded to stay on. His Fifth and Sixth Forms were an improvement, but he was still described in school reports as "[a] confident and at times helpful boy. Sometimes irritates. Sometimes works hard" (1964), and "[a] keen, pleasant, though sometimes erratic boy" (1965).

Leaving school, Kennett was persuaded by his father Ken to attend the Australian National University in Canberra, but lost interest and dropped out after one year of an economics degree. He returned to Melbourne and found work in the advertising department of the retail giant Myer - kindling an interest for advertising that would one day earn him his living.

Kennett's life in the regular workforce was cut short when, in 1968, he was conscripted into the Australian Army. Just as when at school, Kennett thrived in the disciplined, hard life of national service, and was singled out as 'officer material' early in his career. Kennett graduated third in his class from the gruelling Scheyville Army Camp outside Sydney, and was posted to Malaysia and Singapore as Second Lieutenant, commander of 1st Platoon, A Company of the Royal Australian Battalion.

Kennett returned to civilian life in 1970, reentering a deeply divided Australian society, split by the Vietnam War, of which Kennett was a firm supporter. Having returned to Myer, Kennett became impatient with his work, and so with Ian Fegan and Eran Nicols, he formed his own advertising company (KNF) in June 1971. In 1972, now earning a solid income, Kennett married Felicity Kellar, an old friend whom he had first met on the Number 7 tram on the long trips to school. Their first son, Ed, was born in 1975, followed by a daughter Amy, and two more sons, Angus and Ross.

[edit] Political career

Interested in local politics since the early 1970s, Kennett was elected as a Liberal Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Burwood in 1976, after having gained preselection the previous year. Entering the government of Dick Hamer, Kennett soon showed his ability and was rewarded with the Ministry for Housing, Immigration and Ethnic Affairs in 1981. Following the defeat of the longstanding Liberal government in 1982, Kennett was the outstanding candidate to replace Lindsay Thompson, and on 26th October, he was elected Leader of the Liberal Party, despite being the youngest member of the outgoing Cabinet. He was an aggressive Leader of the Opposition, and was much criticised for his "bull-in-a-china-shop" style and his populist anti-government rhetoric.

The Labor government of John Cain was re-elected in 1985, but Kennett showed good form during the campaign, pushing the government in several key seats. Statistically, the Cain government only survived by 1100 votes spread across four seats. Despite this success, Kennett soon faced a challenge to his leadership - from Ian Smith. Kennett survived easily, but increasingly, he seemed an erratic and unapproachable leader. He faced two more challenges to his leadership in 1986 and 1987 respectively. In 1987, in one notable incident Kennett referred to the Federal Liberal leader John Howard using colourful language in a mobile telephone conversation with Howard rival Andrew Peacock.^[1]

Toward the end of its second term the Cain government had endured some loss in support and the Liberals were considered a good chance of winning the 1988 election. When Cain was returned with a small but workable majority, Kennett was again criticised within his own party, and in 1989 he was deposed as leader and replaced by Alan Brown, a little-known rural MLA. A furious Kennett described Alan Hunt, the instigator of the coup, as "a man never to be trusted"^{[citation needed]}. He publicly pledged never to attempt a return to the Liberal leadership, but when Brown proved unable to challenge the government effectively, he allowed his supporters to stage a shock party-room coup and restore him to the leadership, unopposed, in 1991.

[edit] First Term as Premier

Given the parlous state of Victoria's finances and the inability of the ALP to deal with billions of dollars in debt, Kennett was seen from the beginning of his second leadership stint as 'Premier-in-waiting'. The Liberals (in coalition with the National Party of Australia) won the October 1992 election in a landslide as a result of the public's disillusionment with the Labor government. In the second-largest landslide in history, the Liberals and Nationals attained a 34-seat majority in the Victorian Parliament and were thus uniquely placed to govern with little restraint.

In office, Kennett immediately instituted one of the most radical budget-cutting and privatisation programs undertaken by any Victorian government, in an effort to improve the State's economy^{[citation needed]}. Having assumed office, the need for such radical action was reinforced when Kennett and his new Treasurer Alan Stockdale discovered that the outgoing Labor government had left them with $2.2 billion budget deficit, a net public sector debt of $33 billion and budget sector debt of $16 billion. To combat this black hole, some fifty-thousand public servants were retrenched between 1992 and 1995. Moreover, in the first three years of the 'Kennett Revolution' (as the Premier himself came to term it), the revenue drain of the public school system was corrected, with 350 government schools closed, and 7,000 teaching jobs removed. Other highly controversial moves included the sacking of 16,000 public transport workers in a major technological upgrade of the system, and the initiation of a huge scheme for privatisation of state-owned services, including the electricity (SEC) and gas (Gas & Fuel Corporation) utilities, as well as several prisons and other minor services. Between 1995 and 1998, $29 billion of state assets in gas and electricity alone were sold to private enterprise (for statistics, see Tony Parkinson, Jeff, 1999).

In the wake of these changes, investment and population growth slowly resumed, though unemployment was to remain above the national average for the duration of Kennett's premiership. While the economic benefits were indisputable, the social cost of the Kennett reforms was questioned by many commentators, academics and those who suffered economically through the period of reform.

10 November 1992 saw the largest public protest in Melbourne since the Vietnam War, with an estimated 100,000 people marching in opposition to the retrenchment of so many workers and the massive budget cutbacks. A further spur to protest was the imposition in early 1992 of a poll tax of $100 on each Victorian household. Kennett was notably undeterred by this outrage, and famously commented that though there were 100,000 outside his office that day, there were 4.5 million who stayed at home or at work.

It is difficult to assess the merits or otherwise of Kennett's 'Revolution' in his first term, as many (including Auditor-General Ches Baragwanath) estimate that the true value of the reforms will not be apparent until well into the 21st Century.

The Kennett government also embarked on a series of high-profile capital-works projects, such as the restoration of Parliament House (never completed), construction of a new $250 million Melbourne Museum, and a new $130 million Melbourne Exhibition Centre (still known colloquially as 'Jeff's Shed'). Other projects, made possible in monetary terms by the early cutbacks and budget restructuring, included a $160 million expansion of the National Gallery of Victoria; $100 million for refurbishment of the State Library fo Victoria; $65 million for a new Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC); and $130 million for the construction of a new civic square on the site of the old Gas and Fuel Buildings, to be known as Federation Square. The poaching of the Formula-1 Grand Prix from Adelaide in 1993 was a particular coup for Kennett, who had worked hard with his friend Ron Walker to reach a deal with Formula-1 boss Bernie Ecclestone over a period of months.

The most controversial project of the Kennett era was the $1.85 billion Crown Casino, a gambling and entertainment centre on Melbourne's Southbank. Initial plans for a casino had been made under the Labor government, however the tendering process and construction occurred under Kennett. Allegations of financial inconsistencies in the tendering process (which eventually saw longtime Kennett supporters Ron Walker and Lloyd Williams successfull) were to dog the Kennett government for many years, despite the verdict of an enquiry which found no wrongdoing on its behalf.

A $2 billion project to redevelop Melbourne's derelict Docklands area (to include a new football stadium) was also undertaken, in addition to the massive Citylink project, aimed a linking Melbourne's freeways, ease traffic problems in the inner city, and reduce commuting times from the outer suburbs to the CBD.

[edit] Second Term as Premier

Kennett's personal popularity remained high through his first term, though that of the government as a whole went through peaks and troughs. Without a by-election in the previous four years, the 1996 election shaped up as the first test of the 'Kennett Revolution' with the electorate. Though expected to win, the scale of the victory was unanticipated. On 30th March 1996, Kennett was reelected with a 32-seat majority, his prestige seemingly undiminished.

Several worrying trends (for the Liberals) were obscured somewhat by the euphoria of victory. The government's sharp cuts to government services were particularly resented in country Victoria, where the Liberals and their coalition partners, National Party held almost all the seats. The loss of the Mildura seat to an independent Russell Savage was an indication of this disaffection, and when in February 1997 independent Susan Davies was elected to the seat of Gippsland West, this trend seemed set to continue.

However, the verdict of many was that the 'Kennett Revolution' was far from over - indeed it was seemingly set in stone with the opening of the Crown Casino in May, 1997. Kennett's profile continued to grow as he became a major commentator on national issues, including urging the new government of John Howard to introduce tax reform, and actively opposing the rise of the One Nation Party of Pauline Hanson.

The government lost ground over the next few years, with high-profile disagreements with the Director of Public Prosecutions Bernard Bongiorno, and Auditor-General Ches Baragwanath fuelling criticism of Kennett's governmental style.

Kennett's antipathy to Baragwanath let to ill-considered 1997 legislation to restructure the office of the Auditor-General and set up Audit Victoria. This proposal led to widespread community debate and substantial public dissent from Liberal MPs and Party members. At the height of the debate, Roger Pescott resigned from Parliament citing his disagreement with this Bill and Kennett's style in general. The Liberal Party lost the by-election in Mitcham. This should have served as a warning for Kennett to change his style.

Further scandals involving the handling of contracts for the state emergency services response system damaged the credibility of Kennett in 1997-1998, while rural dissent continued to grow.

Personal difficulties also began to plague Kennett and his family. The strains of public life led to a trial separation between Felicity and Jeff in early 1998 (patched up by the end of the year), while earlier in Kennett's first term, public scrutiny had led to the forced sale of the KNF Advertising Company, despite all Kennett's involvement having been transferred to his wife's name. There were rumours in 1998 that Kennett might retire from politics; these were mostly centred around Phil Gude, a longtime minister (as industry and employment minister, 1992-1996, and minister for education, 1996-1999). These eventually came to nothing, but nevertheless, Kennett's position was no longer as rock solid as in the period 1992-1998.

In July 1998, Liberal MP , Peter McLellan, Member for Frankston East, resigned from the party in protest over alleged corrupt Liberal Party Senate preselection, changes to WorkCover and the auditor-general’s office. Again, Kennett failed to pick up the warning signs of his imminent defeat.

Labor leader John Brumby took care to capitalise on each of Kennett's (perceived) mistakes over this period, though his absences in rural electorates were misunderstood by many Labor MPs, and led to his replacement by Steve Bracks in early 1999. Bracks, who came from Ballarat, was popular in rural areas and was seen as a fresh alternative to Brumby, who nevertheless remained a key figure in the shadow cabinet. Despite the appeal of Bracks, Kennett entered the 1999 election campaign with a seemingly unassailable lead, and most commentators and opinion polls agreed that he would win a third term. On the morning of the election a leading political journalist, Ewen Hannan, predicted that 'Labor supporters will be crying into their beers tonight'.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 1999 election loss

The Liberals lost 13 seats to Labor at the 1999 election, most of them in regional centres such as Ballarat and Bendigo. The final result in the Legislative Assembly was: Labor, 42 seats; the Liberals and Nationals, 43; with three independents holding the balance of power. Independents Russell Savage and Susan Davies were joined by a third Independent, Craig Ingram. Negotiations began between Kennett's Liberal party and the three independents. While Kennett acceded to their demands, his poor treatment of Savage and Davies in the previous Parliament meant that they would never agree to support a Liberal Party while Kennett remained leader. The Liberal negotiators did not reveal this to the Party and Labor was ultimately successful in winning their support to form a government, after signing a Charter of Good Government, pledging to resore services to rural areas, and promising Parliamentary reforms.

The defeat of the Kennett Government was almost totally unexpected, and was regretted by those who had supported the government's policies and reforms, which had restored Victoria's fiscal credibility, stemmed the fall in its population growth rate and revived its economic growth. Victoria's economic output was outpacing the rest of Australia, and had been for two years; debt was at its lowest level in 30 years; unemployment had fallen from 12% to 7%; inflation was below the national average; and productivity in general was growing faster than the rest of the country. Business confidence was also high, and Victorians were proud of their state again; but critics argued that Kennett's radical program had damaged the social infrastructure through the reduction in government services, particularly in regional areas, and that this, added to the perception of some that Kennett was arrogant, had led to his downfall.

Kennett's supporters urged the Liberal Party to force a vote of 'no confidence' on the floor of the Parliament in a last-ditch effort to force Savage, Davies and Ingram to support the Liberal Government; however with the Liberal Party divided on Kennett's future role, Kennett resigned as Leader of the Liberal Party and from Parliament, saying he wished to have no further involvement in politics. Not surprisingly, the consequent Burwood by-election was won by the Labor Party.

[edit] Rumoured returns to politics

After the Liberals' second election defeat in 2002, rumours began that Kennett was planning a comeback to politics. The issue came to a head in May 2006 after the sudden resignation of the Liberal Party leader, Robert Doyle, when Kennett announced he would contemplate standing in a by-election for the seat vacated by Doyle and offering himself as party leader. His stance was supported by Prime Minister John Howard, who rated him as the party's best hope to win the November 2006 state election. But within 24 hours Kennett announced he would withdraw from the race rather than challenge Ted Baillieu, whom Kennett had been grooming for the top post since 1999.^[2]^[3] John Howard was reported to have been "embarrassed" by having publicly supported Kennett before his decision not to re-enter politics.^[4]

[edit] Life after politics

Kennett currently chairs beyondblue (the National Depression Initiative), a body that was largely formed by the efforts of the Victorian State Government. He has held the position since 2000, when he became beyondblue's inaugural chairman.^[5] For a brief period during 2002, Kennett was a radio presenter for Melbourne station 3AK, continuing an interest in mass-communication which was also a feature of his premiership. He also serves on the boards of Australian Seniors Finance,^[6] a reverse mortgage company, and SelecTV, a satellite television group.

In 2005 Kennett was made Vice President of his beloved Hawthorn Football Club, and in a ceremony on December 14, 2005, he officially took over the presidency from Ian Dicker.^[7]

In 2005 Kennett received Australia's highest civilian honour, when he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). He was also awarded an honorary doctorate - Hon DBus (Honoris Causa) - by The University of Ballarat.

Kennett had hip replacement surgery in December 2005.

In 2006 Kennett was attacked while celebrating his son's birthday in a Richmond bar and received minor abrasions; the attacker is awaiting trial.^[8]

Kennett's name remains associated with one of the two largest factions in the fractious Victorian branch of the Liberal Party. The battles between the "Kennett faction" and the "Kroger/Costello faction" (associated with Michael Kroger and Peter Costello) are often fierce [1].

[edit] Further reading

The material for this revised entry was obtained from the major biographical and reference works on Kennett's life and career. These are:

John Aldford & Diedre O'Neill, Contract State: public management and the Kennett government, Geelong: Centre for Applied Research, 1994.

Brian Costar & Nick Economou (eds), The Kennett revolution : Victorian politics in the 1990s, Sydney: UNSW Press, 1999.

Barry Donovan, Steve Bracks and Jeff Kennett: My part in their Rise and Fall, Melbourne: Information Australia, 2000.

Tony Parkinson, Jeff: The Rise and Fall of a Political Phenomenon, Penguin: Melbourne, 2000.

Other important materials include:

The Age (newspaper), various editions (this paper enjoyed a notoriously difficult relationship with the former Premier, but is the best primary source for the events of 1992-1999).

The Australian (newspaper), various editions.

Geoffrey Blainey, A History fo Victoria, Melbourne: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Jeff Kennett, Policies and principles for Victoria, Melbourne: Sir Robert Menzies Lecture Trust, Monash University, 1993.

Jeff Kennett, Victoria’s Commonsense Revolution, Melbourne: Alfred Deakin Lecture Trust, 1995.

Jeff Kennett, Australia - defining a model for the new millennium, London: University of London, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, Sir Robert Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, 1998.

George Megalogenis, The Longest Decade, Melbourne: Scribe, 2006.

Paul Strangio & Brian Costar, The Victorian Premiers: 1856-2006, Annandale: Federation Press, 2006.

An unpublished, highly one-sided official history of the Kennett government remains in the archives of the State Government of Victoria. Entitled 'The Kennett Ascendancy', the work was written by Dr Malcolm J Kennedy (formerly of Monash University) at a cost of $100,000. It remains unlikely to see the light of day under Steve Bracks' government, however John Brumby did attempt to find a publisher in 1999, but none came forward (see the notes to Blainey's history).

[edit] References

^ australianpolitics.com (1995-2006). The car-phone conversation damaged both Howard and Kennett, but aided Peacock in his push to return as Federal Liberal leader (1989).Kennett-Peacock Car Phone Conversation. Retrieved May 5, 2006.
^ Harrison, Dan. "Kennett calls it quits", The Age, 5 May 2006.
^ Silkstone, Dan. "Jeff admits: I asked Ted the wrong question", The Age, 6 May 2006.
^ Austin and Tomazin, Paul and Farrah. "Kennett backdown infuriates Howard", The Age, 6 May 2006.
^ beyondblue (2006). Board of Directors. Retrieved May 5, 2006.
^ Australian Seniors Finance (2006). The people behind the company. Retrieved May 5, 2006.
^ Official AFL Website of the Hawthorn Football Club (2006). Hawthorn FC Board: Jeff Kennett - President. Retrieved March 6, 2006.
^ Milovanovic, Selma. "Angry patron assaults Kennett at Richmond pub", The Age, 4 February 2006.

[edit] External links

Jeff Kennett at Saxton Speakers Bureau

Preceded by Joan Kirner	Premier of Victoria 1992-1999	Succeeded by Steve Bracks
Preceded by Lindsay Thompson	Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia in Victoria 1982-1989	Succeeded by Alan Brown
Preceded by Alan Brown	Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia in Victoria 1991-1999	Succeeded by Denis Napthine