“It has been a wonderful 20 years with a diversity of activities commercial, not-for-profit and sporting,” Kennett said. “I’m working the same long hours as I did in politics. Do I miss it? No, I don’t. But I desperately miss the big-picture stuff and, importantly, the lack of a vision for the country.
“Where are the political leaders, through their policies and their teams, trying to take the country to 2050? If you were to ask any of the leaders or the political parties what their vision is for the country, where they are trying to take the community through their policies, I suspect you would get a blank expression in return. No one is thinking more than short-term.”
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This is a typically frank assessment from Kennett. He was always a brash, brusque and big-picture leader. In his seven years as premier of Victoria (1992-99), Kennett also played a prominent role on the national stage. He worked with Paul Keating on native title and national competition policy. He worked with John Howard on taxation reform and gun laws.
Kennett continues to think deeply about public policy. He offered a five-point summation of the issues that urgently need addressing by policymakers.
• First, achieving a greater understanding of, and respect for, our indigenous heritage, providing recognition in the Constitution and facilitating the establishment of an indigenous voice to parliament;
• Second, dealing with climate change by transitioning to more renewable energy use in a responsible way without putting industry, employment and family security at risk;
• Third, a long-term energy policy that provides security and affordability, prioritises exploration and exploitation of our natural resources, and develops initiatives such as a gas pipeline across the continent;
• Fourth, a national water policy that includes building dams to collect and move water around the country to productive lands while opening up new lands, and encouraging better recycling; and
• Fifth, a national agriculture policy that expands production and facilitates Australia being a food bowl for Asia.
Kennett was a bold, reformist, uncompromising premier of Victoria. In two terms, he transformed the state after the financial and economic mess inherited from Joan Kirner’s government (1990-92). There were budget cuts, public servant sackings and asset privatisation.
Voters took to the streets to protest against the Kennett “revolution” but it saved Victoria from becoming a basket case.
Alongside the difficult policy decisions was a huge infrastructure program with major upgrades to arterial roads; new funding for art galleries, museums and sporting facilities; Docklands was revitalised with a new stadium; the Convention and Exhibition Centre was built; the Crown Casino opened at Southbank; and the grand prix was snatched from Adelaide.
The election defeat — after losing a majority of seats and independents supporting Labor — was a surprise to Kennett.
The loss of seats in regional Victoria was the key factor. But Kennett has no regrets. The thing he is most proud of? “Restoring the confidence of Victorians in their own state,” he says. While there are critics of his government, Kennett says everywhere he goes people appreciate that he was a strong leader.
Kennett’s first period as leader of the Liberal Party in opposition (1982-89) was not an entirely happy one and he lost two elections. He says he learnt from that period and became a better politician. He also says his time in the army was a good training for politics. He is kind to his Liberal predecessors. “I had great respect for Henry Bolte,” he recalls. “I loved Dick Hamer’s intelligence. I loved Lindsay Thompson’s sense of loyalty.”
The leader Kennett most admires over the past 30 years is not one from his own Liberal stable. It is Keating. “I respected him very much,” Kennett says. “He assisted me and my team to rebuild Victoria. He was always available when I wanted him; I was always available to him. He was the most reformist prime minister in recent times.”
In 2000, Kennett founded BeyondBlue and served as chairman until 2017. It is the leading support, educative and advocacy organisation on mental health. It is an enormous achievement and performs a vitally important role. He is now chairman of The Torch, which provides support for indigenous Australians in custody, or formerly in custody, with the aim of reducing recidivism. It has also been a successful initiative.
Kennett personified the notion that politics is leadership and he continues to serve the community. He went into politics to change things. He had clear values, a program of ideas and was determined to achieve them. Not everything he did was successful, and his government made mistakes, but at least he led. And when you survey politics today, how could anyone dispute that leadership is in short supply?
“I am terribly disappointed in the quality of leadership and I don’t refer to that by individuals so much as I do the collective political class,” Kennett says.
“Since the turn of this century, in real terms, there has been no vision and there are no advocates for a vision. It is a sign of our complacency.
“I think our leaders need to lead and governments lack the courage to govern.”
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Jeff Kennett resigned from the Victorian parliament 20 years ago this week, after his government lost re-election for a third term and he handed the premiership to Steve Bracks. Kennett doesn’t miss politics, but he does lament the lack of political leadership with a compelling vision for Australia’s future at state and national levels.