Ex-premiers Jeff Kennett and Steve Bracks face off over role of country Victoria in 1999 election
Former Victorian premiers Jeff Kennett and Steve Bracks have reunited to discuss the bombshell 1999 state election, which led to a hung parliament and a minority Labor government. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
VIC News
Don't miss out on the headlines from VIC News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Jeff Kennett has defended imposing strict media restrictions on political candidates at state elections, while acknowledging it allowed his opponents to paint him as arrogant.
Despite being on of the reasons blamed for the Kennett Government’s defeat in 1999, the former Premier said the so-called “gag” was necessary for the party to present a united front to the public.
Mr Kennett and his successor Steve Bracks, have reunited to discuss the bombshell 1999 state election, which led to a hung parliament and a minority Labor government.
Download FACE OFF on Apple podcasts/iTunes, Web, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts
In the second episode of a new podcast series, Face Off, the two political giants remember the battle for the bush in ‘99, and the way Mr Kennett’s leadership became a focal point of the campaign.
Mr Kennett said restrictions on MPs speaking to media were wrongly described as a “gag” and was simply a way to ensure people across his team’s complex reform agenda responded to questions.
“You can’t have a team of people, whether it’s in football or politics, all out there saying their own things,” he said.
But he said he would “retrospectively apologise” to Mr Bracks for failing to debate him prior to the ‘99 election.
Mr Bracks said that decision helped the Labor team frame Mr Kennett in a certain way.
“Our campaign was largely trying to turn Jeff Kennett strengths into a weakness. He had a strength of leadership, we said ‘we would be an alternative style of leadership’,” Mr Bracks said.
“We tried to paint his strength into a weakness by talking about arrogance.”
Mr Kennett said “Steve’s right”.
“I mean it was portrayed by Labor, it was portrayed by a lot of you that I was arrogant,” he said.
“Leadership, where you are making decisions and moving quickly and people don’t like it, they often therefore describe you as arrogant.”
Both leaders credit the work done by Mr Bracks’s predecessor, John Brumby, in country Victoria as integral to Labor’s success.
Labor’s campaign included a famous advertisement showing two taps — one with a firm flow representing what the government gave to Melbourne compared to a dripping tap representing country Victoria.
Mr Bracks, who led the state from 1999 to 2007, delves into the work down to heal Labor after its “split” in 1955.
READ MORE
RIVALS ALL SMILES ON ANNIVERSARY OF HISTORIC ELECTION
The episode includes exclusive interviews with Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan, who was a 28-year-old first-time candidate in Bendigo East in 1999; and former Tourism Minister and deputy Liberal leader, Louise Asher.
Mr Kennett defended only allowing key people to speak about government policy to the media during the campaign, described by some as a “gag” but by the former Liberal leader as “discipline”.