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Jeff Kennett

Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC (born 2 March 1948) is a former Australian politician who served as the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, Leader of the Victorian Liberal Party from 1982 to 1989 and from 1991 to 1999, and the Member for Burwood from 1976 to 1999.[1] He is currently a media commentator.

Jeff Kennett
43rd Premier of Victoria
Elections: 1985, 1988, 1992, 1996, 1999
In office
6 October 1992 – 20 October 1999
MonarchElizabeth II
GovernorRichard McGarvie
Sir James Gobbo
DeputyPat McNamara
Preceded byJoan Kirner
Succeeded bySteve Bracks
Leader of the Opposition of Victoria
In office
20 October 1999 – 26 October 1999
Preceded bySteve Bracks
Succeeded byDenis Napthine
In office
23 April 1991 – 6 October 1992
Preceded byAlan Brown
Succeeded byJoan Kirner
In office
5 November 1982 – 23 May 1989
Preceded byLindsay Thompson
Succeeded byAlan Brown
Leader of the Victorian Liberal Party
In office
26 October 1982 – 23 May 1989
Preceded byLindsay Thompson
Succeeded byAlan Brown
In office
23 April 1991 – 26 October 1999
Preceded byAlan Brown
Succeeded byDenis Napthine
Member of the Victorian Parliament
for Burwood
In office
20 March 1976 – 2 November 1999
Preceded byConstituency re-established
Succeeded byBob Stensholt
Personal details
Born
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett

(1948-03-02) 2 March 1948 (age 75)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Political partyLiberal
SpouseFelicity Kellar (m. 1972)
ProfessionMedia commentator, former politician
Signature

He was previously the president of the Hawthorn Football Club, serving from 2005 to 2011 and again from 2017 to 2022. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national organisation "working to reduce the impact of depression and anxiety in the community".[2]

Early life Edit

The son of Kenneth Munro Gibb Kennett (1921–2007), and Wendy Anne Kennett (1925–2006), née Fanning,[3] he was born in Melbourne on 2 March 1948.[4] He attended Scotch College;[5] and, although an unexceptional student academically, he did well in the school's Cadet Corps Unit. He also played football (on the wing) for the school.[6] 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).[7]

After leaving school, Kennett was persuaded by his father Ken to attend the Australian National University in Canberra, but lost interest and left 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.[8]

Kennett's life in the regular workforce was cut short when, in 1968, he was conscripted into the Australian Army.[9] Kennett was singled out as 'officer material' early in his career, and graduated third in his class from the Officer Training Unit, Scheyville (OTU) Scheyville, near Windsor, New South Wales, outside Sydney. He was posted to Malaysia and Singapore as Second Lieutenant, commander of 1st Platoon, A Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR).[10] This military career (and his earlier experience in the Scotch College Cadet Corps) has been noted by many biographers as an essential formative influence on the adult Kennett's character. His sense and regard for hierarchical loyalty, punctuality, and general intolerance of dissent or disobedience may be traced to this period.[11]

Kennett returned to civilian life in 1970, reentering a 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.[12]

Thereafter, in December 1972, Kennett married Felicity Kellar, an old friend whom he had first met on a Number 69 tram on the long trips to school.[13] Their first son, Ed, was born in 1974, followed by a daughter Amy, and two more sons, Angus and Ross.

Political career Edit

Kennett was elected as a Liberal Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Burwood in 1976, having had an interest in local politics since the early 1970s.[14] His preselection for the seat reportedly irritated then Premier Dick Hamer, who disliked Kennett's campaigning style, and had endorsed the sitting member, Haddon Storey.[14] However, by 1981, Kennett was promoted to Cabinet as Minister for Housing, Immigration and Ethnic Affairs. He was one of several younger MPs whom Hamer promoted to Cabinet in a bid to renew his government. Kennett retained his post when Hamer was replaced as Liberal leader and Premier by Lindsay Thompson in June of that year.[14] Following the defeat of the longstanding Liberal government in 1982, Kennett was the leading candidate to replace Thompson despite being the youngest member of the outgoing government. On 26 October, he was elected leader of the Liberal Party and hence Leader of the Opposition. He took an aggressive posture against the Cain government, and was often criticised for his "bull-in-a-china-shop" style and his anti-government rhetoric.[15]

Under his leadership, the Liberals were heavily defeated by Labor in 1985. Afterwards he faced a challenge to his leadership of the party from Ian Smith. Kennett survived easily, but increasingly, he was seen as an erratic and unapproachable leader[citation needed]. He faced two more challenges to his leadership in 1986 and 1987.[16] In 1987, in one notable incident Kennett referred to the Federal Liberal leader John Howard as a 'cunt' in a mobile telephone conversation with Howard rival Andrew Peacock.[17] The car-phone conversation damaged both Howard and Kennett politically,[18] but aided Peacock in his push to return as Federal Liberal leader (1989).[19]

Toward the end of its second term the Cain government had lost support and the Liberals were expected to win the 1988 election. The Liberal vote indeed rebounded strongly – they won a majority of the two-party vote – however much of this margin was wasted on landslide majorities in their heartland. As a result, the Liberals took only one seat from Labor in the capital, and were left four seats short of a majority. Failing to become premier, Kennett was again criticised within his own party, and in 1989 he was deposed in favour of a little-known rural MLA, Alan Brown.

Kennett's performance during his first stint as Liberal leader is a matter of debate. Economou sees his 1985 and 1988 election campaigns as weak,[16] while Parkinson believes he was a significant asset in pushing the Labor government of John Cain in several key seats.

First term as premier Edit

Kennett publicly pledged never to attempt a return to the Liberal leadership. However, when Brown proved unable to challenge the government effectively, he allowed his supporters to call a spill in 1991. Brown realised he didn't have enough support to keep his post and resigned, allowing Kennett to retake the leadership unopposed.

With Victoria facing billions of dollars of debt, Kennett was seen as "Premier-in-waiting" from the moment he retook the leadership. Cain had resigned a year earlier in favour of Deputy Premier Joan Kirner, who was unable to regain the upper hand despite being personally more popular than Kennett. The Liberals' advantage was strengthened by an important decision taken during Brown's brief tenure as leader—negotiating a Coalition agreement with the National Party. The Liberals and Nationals have historically had a strained relationship in Victoria; they had sat separately for most of the second half of the 20th century. It had been believed that Kennett had been denied victory in 1988 due to a large number of three-cornered contests in rural seats.

The Coalition went into the October 1992 state election as unbackable favourites, having been ahead in opinion polling by large margins for almost two years. They stoked the voters' anger with a series of "Guilty Party" ads, targeting many Labor ministers and highlighting concerns in their portfolios. In the second-largest defeat that a sitting government has ever suffered in Victoria, the Coalition scored a 19-seat swing, attaining a 16-seat majority in the Legislative Assembly. The Liberals won 52 seats, enough for a majority in their own right. Nevertheless, Kennett supported his coalition partner, retaining the Nationals in his cabinet.

State school closures Edit

In the first three years of office, funding for public schools and the Department of Education was substantially reduced. 350 government schools were closed, including every Technical High School ("Tech") in Victoria, and 7,000 teaching jobs eliminated.[20] The Tech School closures had a widespread, delayed effect two decades later when a skilled labour shortage in the state was declared by the government, attributable largely to the generation of kids who were denied a trade-focused high school education, significantly reducing the number of school leavers commencing trade apprenticeships. The few who did so were insufficient to counterbalance the number of retiring tradespeople in the coming years. This directly resulted in the number of Skilled Migrant (subclass 190) visas being made available each year increasing to 190,000 from 2012[21] and an active campaign to entice trade-qualified foreigners to migrate to Victoria.

Public transport Edit

Other controversial moves included the sacking of 16,000 public transport workers in a major technological upgrade of the system, and the initiation of a major scheme for privatisation of state-owned services, including the electricity (SECV) and gas (Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria) utilities, the ambulance service, as well as several prisons and other minor services. The sale of the Totalisator Agency Board raised $609 million. Between 1995 and 1998, $29 billion of state assets in gas and electricity alone were sold to private enterprise (for statistics, see Parkinson, Jeff, 1999).[22] 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 benefits to the State budget figures were indisputable in the short term, the social and longer-term economic cost of the Kennett reforms have been questioned by many commentators, academics and those who suffered economically through the period of reform.[23][24][25][26] This campaign of privatisations and cutbacks led to governmental acts of privatisation by splitting up Melbourne's rail (Hillside, Bayside, V/Line and West Coast Rail) and tramways (Yarra and Swanston) or budget-cutting becoming popularly known as being "Jeffed".[27][28] He also cut back many regional rail services including The Vinelander (ran to Mildura, services later restored to Maryborough as a regular V/Line service in 2011) and services to Leongatha, Bairnsdale (returned in 2003), Dimboola (services later returned to Ararat in 2004)

The largest public protest in Melbourne since the Vietnam War Moratorium occurred on 10 November 1992, with an estimated 100,000 people marching in opposition to the retrenchment of many workers and the large State budget cutbacks. Kennett was undeterred by this protest, and famously commented that though there were 100,000 outside his office at Parliament that day, there were 4.5 million who stayed at home or at work.[29][30]

High-profile capital works projects Edit

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 (which was widely opposed by the Victorian community at the time) and IMAX theatre, and a new $130 million Melbourne Convention and 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 of 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 relocation 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, the Chairman of the Melbourne Major Events Company, helped deliver Melbourne the hosting rights for the event from Adelaide in 1993.[31]

The most controversial project of the Kennett era was the $1.85 billion Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex, 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 successful) were to dog the Kennett government for many years, despite the verdict of an enquiry which found no wrongdoing on its behalf.[citation needed]

A$2 billion project to redevelop Melbourne's derelict Docklands area to include a new football stadium was also undertaken, in addition to the large CityLink project, a project resurrected from the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan, aimed at linking Melbourne's freeways, easing traffic problems in the inner city, and reducing commuting times from the outer suburbs to the CBD.[citation needed]

Macedonian name dispute Edit

In the mid-1990s, Premier Kennett backed the Greek position over the Macedonian question[32] in his attempts to shore up local electoral support.[33] Kennett's stance gained him supporters from the Melburnian Greek community, whereas he was referred to as "Kennettopoulos" by the Macedonian community.[32]

At Kennett's insistence, his state government in 1994 issued its own directive that all its departments refer to the language as "Macedonian (Slavonic)" and to Macedonians as "Slav Macedonians".[34][35] Reasons given for the decision were "to avoid confusion", be consistent with federal naming protocols toward Macedonians and repair relations between Macedonian and Greek communities.[34][36] It was accepted that it would not impact the way Macedonians self identified themselves.[34] The decision upset Macedonians, as they had to use the terms in deliberations with the government or its institutions related to education and public broadcasting.[37] The Macedonian Community challenged the decision on the basis of the Race Discrimination Act.[38] After years of litigation at the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC), the Federal Court and High Court, previous judicial rulings were upheld that found Kennett's directive unlawful as it caused discrimination based on ethnic background and was struck down from usage in 2000.[38]

Second term as premier Edit

Kennett's personal popularity was mostly average to 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 state election shaped up as the first test of the 'Kennett Revolution' with the electorate. The Coalition was expected to win a second term at the 30 March election, albeit with a somewhat reduced majority. At the federal election held four weeks earlier, while Labor was heavily defeated, it actually picked up a swing in Victoria.

However, to the surprise of most commentators, the Coalition only suffered a two-seat swing, allowing it to retain a comfortable 14-seat majority. The Coalition actually picked up modest swings in Melbourne's outer suburbs, which have traditionally decided most state elections. Several negative 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 Nationals held almost all the seats. The loss of the Mildura seat to 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. In this last case, Kennett did not shy away from criticising the media, but also the decision of the Howard government to not actively oppose Hanson's agenda.[39]

Kennett was influential in Melbourne bidding for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Three cities initially expressed interest in hosting the event; Melbourne, Wellington and Singapore. Singapore dropped out before its bid was officially selected by the Commonwealth Games Federation, leaving only two candidate cities. In the weeks prior to the announcement of the 2006 host, Wellington withdrew its bid, citing the costs involved with matching the bid plan presented by Melbourne, which became the default host without members of the Federation going to vote.[40]

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 perceived antipathy to Baragwanath led to 1997 legislation to restructure the office of the Auditor-General and set up Audit Victoria. While Kennett promised the independence of the office would be maintained, many saw his government's actions as an attempt to curb the Auditor-General's power to criticise government policy.[41] Widespread community debate and substantial public dissent from Liberal MPs and Party members ensued, with MLA Roger Pescott resigning from Parliament at the height of the debate; citing his disagreement with this Bill and Kennett's style in general. The Liberal Party lost the by-election in Mitcham.

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 affect 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, his party deputy. These eventually came to nothing.

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 declining support for his style of leadership.

Labor leader John Brumby took care to capitalise on each of Kennett's 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.

1999 election loss Edit

Despite Bracks' appeal, Kennett entered the 1999 election campaign with a seemingly unassailable lead, and most commentators and opinion polls agreed that the Coalition would win a third term.

However, in a shock result, the Coalition suffered a 13-seat swing to Labor. While there was only a modest swing in eastern Melbourne, which has historically decided elections in Victoria, the Coalition suffered significant losses in regional centres such as Ballarat and Bendigo. ABC elections analyst Antony Green later said that when he first saw the results coming in, it looked so unusual that he thought "something was wrong with the computer."[42]

Initial counting showed Labor on 41 seats and the Coalition on 43; a supplementary election had to be held in Frankston East following the death of sitting independent Peter McLellan. The balance of power rested with three independents--Russell Savage, Susan Davies and newly elected Craig Ingram. Negotiations began between the Coalition and the three independents. While Kennett acceded to all but two of their demands, his perceived poor treatment of Savage and Davies in the previous parliament meant that they would not even consider supporting a Coalition minority government headed by Kennett. On 18 October, two days after Labor won the supplementary election in Frankston East, the independents announced they would support a Labor minority government. The agreement entailed Labor signing a Charter of Good Government, pledging to restore services to rural areas, and promising parliamentary reforms.

Kennett's supporters urged the Coalition 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 Kennett. However, with the Liberals divided on Kennett's future role, Kennett retired from all of his offices, saying he wished to have no further involvement in politics. Labor won the ensuing by-election in Burwood.

Rumoured returns to politics Edit

Following the Liberals' second successive defeat in the 2002 election, rumours began that Kennett was planning a comeback to politics. The issue came to a head in May 2006 after the sudden resignation of Kennett's successor, Robert Doyle, when Kennett announced he would contemplate standing in a by-election for Doyle's old seat of Malvern 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 not return to Parliament rather than running against Ted Baillieu, whom Kennett had been grooming for the top post since 1999.[43][44] John Howard was reported to have been "embarrassed" by having publicly supported Kennett before his decision not to re-enter politics.[45]

In 2008, it was rumoured that Kennett was planning to stand for Lord Mayor of Melbourne. Despite endorsing future Lord Mayor John So in the 2001 mayoral elections, Kennett was quoted as saying "I think the city is ready for a change". Kennett claimed he had been approached by "a range of interests" to run for the position, but in the end did not do so.[46] Former Liberal leader Robert Doyle ultimately won the election.

2020: Indigenous voice to government Edit

On 15 January 2020, it was announced that Kennett would be one of the members of the National Co-design Group of the Indigenous voice to government.[47]

Life after politics Edit

 
Kennett in 2006

In 2000 Kennett became the inaugural chairman of beyondblue (the National Depression Initiative), a body that was largely formed by the efforts of the Victorian State Government. On 24 June 2008, he announced that he would be stepping down from his role at beyondblue at the end of 2010.[48] This did not happen.[49] After 17 years as the chair of beyondblue, he stood down in 2017, handing the reins to former PM Julia Gillard. He stated "beyondblue is part of my DNA, outside my family, it has been my most important role.[50]

Kennett has previously served on the boards of Australian Seniors Finance,[51] a reverse mortgage company, and SelecTV, which was a satellite television group.

Kennett has said in an interview that he rarely thinks about the media or "bloody history", though he regrets the "disastrous" introduction of the Metcard ticketing system for trains and trams.[52]

Kennett angered gay rights groups in July 2008 when he supported the Bonnie Doon Football Club in their sacking of trainer Ken Campagnolo for being bisexual; and compared homosexuality to pedophilia.[53] Anti-discrimination campaigner Gary Burns pursued an action in the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal against Kennett for making the following statement:

"The club felt that once this had been pointed out and you had this gentleman there who was obviously close to young men – massaging young men – it ran an unnecessary risk, and that's why it decided it was best that he not perform those duties again. So the club was trying to do the right thing,"[54]

The case was dropped due to Gary Burns' lack of funds to pursue the case.[54]

Hawthorn FC presidency Edit

On 14 December 2005, Kennett was made president of Hawthorn Football Club, taking over from Ian Dicker.[55]

Following the exit of the St Kilda Football Club from the Tasmanian AFL market in 2006, Kennett was president when the Hawthorn Football Club negotiated a five-year sponsorship deal with the Tasmanian state government. The sponsorship deal was worth an estimated $12 million for which the Tasmanian government bought naming rights to the club's guernsey, and the HFC committed to playing an agreed number of pre-season and four regular season "home games" at York Park.[56]

Kennett was instrumental in Hawthorn's 2007 5-year business plan titled "five2fifty", the core idea being that in the next five years the club will target to win 2 premierships and have fifty thousand members. As part of the plan, the football club wants to be seen as the most professional club in the AFL, and places great emphasis on the welfare of the people associated with the club.[57]

Following Hawthorn's 2008 AFL Grand Final victory over Geelong, Kennett claimed that the Cats "lacked the mentality to defeat Hawthorn", this being in reference to the Cats' inability to counter-attack the running game of the Hawks in the aforementioned Grand Final.[58] Kennett's comments led to the subsequent eleven-match losing streak for Hawthorn against Geelong becoming known as the "Kennett curse".

He stepped down at the end of his second three-year term in 2011, he also changed the club's constitution so that presidents could only serve two 3-year terms.

Second stint Edit

In what Fox Footy described as a "stunning return",[59] Kennett was announced as the president of the Hawthorn Football Club on 4 October 2017 following the sudden resignation of the incumbent president Richard Garvey.[60][61] Garvey had taken criticism on the hiring and later sacking of club CEO Tracey Gaudry. Kennett subsequently appointed Justin Reeves as the club's new CEO.

On 4 October 2017 he announced that he would serve the position for a full 3-year term.

Soon after his re-appointment, Kennett and the club released a vision statement outlining the future of the club up to 2050. The first five-year strategic plan titled 'Dare to be Different' will drive the club's priorities from 2018 to 2022.

Kennett said:

"Hawthorn we aren't ones to sit back and wait, we work hard to achieve and deliver exciting results, on and off the field. Our vision for our strategic plan, "Dare to be Different", encapsulates this as we continue to strive for excellence. "We have set ourselves some ambitious targets but all are within our grasp if we continue to innovate, grow and forge new frontiers within the AFL industry."[62]

On 6 July 2021, Kennett and the Hawthorn board announced that they would not be renewing head coach Alastair Clarkson's contract following its expiry at the conclusion of the 2022 AFL Premiership season. It was announced that Box Hill Hawks and Hawthorn development coach, former player Sam Mitchell had been chosen by Kennett and the board to become the Hawthorn coach at the end of Clarkson's reign.[63]

Chairman of The Original Juice Company Edit

On 12 December 2022, The Original Juice Company announced that it would appoint Kennett as Chairman and Non-Executive Director.[64]

Honours Edit

In the Australia Day Honours of 2005, Kennett received Australia's then highest civilian honour, when he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). The honour was for "service to the Victorian Parliament and the introduction of initiatives for economic and social benefit, to business and commerce, and to the community in the development of the arts, sport and mental health awareness strategies."[65]

In May 2000, he was also awarded an honorary doctorate – DBus (Honoris Causa) – by the University of Ballarat.[66]

Media work Edit

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.

Since 2010, Kennett has been a regular contributor to Neil Mitchell's 3AW radio program every Thursday, as a social commentator.[67]

On 28 March 2013 it was announced that Kennett had joined the Seven television network as national political commentator which will involve him appearing on breakfast show Sunrise every Tuesday and on Seven news as required.[68]

On 12 February 2017 Jeff Kennett engaged ex-Seven West Media employee on Twitter over leaked documents potentially breaching the company's own gag order on Amber Harrison.[69][70]

Bibliography Edit

Forewords Edit

  • Kennett, The Hon. Jeff (2009). Foreword. Taking Care of Yourself And Your Family. By Ashfield, John (10th ed.). Peacock Publications. ISBN 9781921601347.

References Edit

  1. ^ "Jeffrey Gibb Kennett". Parliament of Victoria. Victorian Government. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  2. ^ "beyondblue".
  3. ^ Four Weddings at School Chapel: Kennett—Fanning, The Argus, (Thursday, 3 April 1947), p.6; Weddings Celebrated, The Age, (Thursday, 3 April 1947), p.5.
  4. ^ Births: Kennett, The Argus, (Wednesday, 3 march 1948), p.2.
  5. ^ Nick Economou, 'Jeff Kennett: The Larrikin Metropolitan', in Paul Strangio and Brian Costar (eds), The Victorian Premiers: 1856–2006, Annandale: Federation Press, 2006, p.365.
  6. ^ Crawford, S., "Jeff Kennett has a few kicks before the siren", The Sunday Herald Sun, 4 September 2011.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ Tony Parkinson, Jeff: The Rise and Fall of a Political Phenomenon, Ringwood: Penguin, 2000, p.19.
  8. ^ Parkinson, Jef, pp.22–23.
  9. ^ Parkinson, Jef, p.24.
  10. ^ Parkinson, Jeff, pp.25, 29.
  11. ^ Economou, 'Jeff Kennett', pp.365–366.
  12. ^ Parkinson, Jeff, p.36.
  13. ^ Neales, S., "Jeff's Friend Flicka", The Good Weekend, 2 November 1996, pp.30–33.
  14. ^ a b c Economou, 'Jeff Kennett', p.366.
  15. ^ Economou, 'Jeff Kennett', pp.367 & Cartoon 10 between pp.146–147.
  16. ^ a b Economou, 'Jeff Kennett', p.368.
  17. ^ australianpolitics.com (1995–2006)
  18. ^ 'Why Peacock was axed' Sydney Morning Herald 24 March 1987 p. 1
  19. ^ Kennett-Peacock Car Phone Conversation 12 December 2004 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 May 2006.
  20. ^ STRUGGLE FOR A NEW PUBLIC DEMOCRACY School, Community and the State, by Tony Knight. Northland Secondary College era 1992 – 1996.
  21. ^ "Australia's Visa Subclass 190 (State Nominated) – Explained!". 20 July 2019.
  22. ^ http://www.dtf.vic.au/CA25713E0002EF43/WebObj/BP4Final/$File/BPFinal.pdf[permanent dead link]
  23. ^ "Carbon price v privatisation – which is worse in the Latrobe?". 3 July 2012.
  24. ^ . Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  25. ^ "Billion Nightmare". The Age. Melbourne.
  26. ^ "On track for more of the same". The Age. Melbourne.
  27. ^ . Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  28. ^ . Archived from the original on 13 April 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  29. ^ "The Mayne Report – The first days of Jeff Kennett".
  30. ^ . Herald Sun. 5 October 2012. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  31. ^ Grand prix got Victoria on the move again: Kennett 22 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine, By Jason Dowling, 20 March 2010, The Age
  32. ^ a b Danforth, Loring M. (1997). The Macedonian conflict: Ethnic nationalism in a transnational world. Princeton University Press. p. 172. ISBN 9780691043562.
  33. ^ Jakubowicz, Andrew (26 June 1995). The State, Multiculturalism and Ethnic Leadership in Australia (PDF). Joint Seminar – Institute of Commonwealth Studies, Australian Studies Centre, and the Centre for Multicultural Education. University of London. p. 3.
  34. ^ a b c Clyne & Kipp 2006, p. 27.
  35. ^ Mulheron 2020, p. 294.
  36. ^ Mulheron, Rachael (2020). Class Actions and Government. Cambridge University Press. pp. 293–294. ISBN 9781107043978.
  37. ^ Clyne & Kipp 2006, p. 28.
  38. ^ a b Clyne, Michael G.; Kipp, Sandra (2006). Tiles in a Multilingual Mosaic: Macedonian, Filipino and Somali in Melbourne (PDF). Pacific Linguistics. p. 29. ISBN 9780858835696.
  39. ^ George Megalogenis, The Longest Decade, Carlton North: Scribe, 2006, pp.212–213.
  40. ^ Official Newsletter Volume 2, No 1 16 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine May 1999, Commonwealth Games Australia
  41. ^ John Waugh, 'The Kennett Government and the Constitution: No Change?', in Brian Costar & Nicholas Edonomou, The Kennett Revolution: Victorian Politics in the 1990s, Sydney: University of New South Wales Press, 1999, pp.59, 61.
  42. ^ Comment by Antony Green at pollbludger ([1] 9 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine, 8 May 2006, accessed 2 February 2010.
  43. ^ Harrison, Dan (5 May 2006). "Kennett calls it quits". The Age. Melbourne.
  44. ^ Silkstone, Dan (6 May 2006). "Jeff admits: I asked Ted the wrong question". The Age. Melbourne.
  45. ^ Austin and Tomazin, Paul and Farrah (6 May 2006). "Kennett backdown infuriates Howard". The Age. Melbourne.
  46. ^ Ferguson, John (24 July 2008). "Mayor race: Eddie McGuire says no, but Jeff Kennett might say yes". Herald Sun.[permanent dead link]
  47. ^ . Indigenous Voice. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  48. ^ "Kennett to step down from beyondblue". 23 June 2008. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013.
  49. ^ Pollard, Doug (29 September 2011). . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  50. ^ . Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  51. ^ Australian Seniors Finance (2006). The people behind the company 12 December 2004 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 May 2006.
  52. ^ Money, Lawrence (February 2009). "Sensitive new-age Jeff". Royal Auto. RACV. 77 (1): 16–19.
  53. ^ Jeff kennett gay storm 1 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine Herald Sun
  54. ^ a b Gay activist drops case against Kennett Sydney Morning Herald 8 September 2009
  55. ^ Official AFL Website of the Hawthorn Football Club (2006). Hawthorn FC Board: Jeff Kennett – President[permanent dead link]. Retrieved 6 March 2006.
  56. ^ "Hawks confirm Tasmanian deal". September 2006.
  57. ^ "Members' rally to record number". Hawthornf.com.au. 1 April 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2008.[permanent dead link]
  58. ^ "Geelong lacks drive: Jeff Kennett – Herald Sun". 23 March 2009.
  59. ^ "Hawthorn legally clears stunning return of Jeff Kennett as president after Richard Garvey resigns". foxsports.com.au. 4 October 2017.
  60. ^ "Jeff's back: Kennett named Hawks' president".
  61. ^ "Kennett returns as president".
  62. ^ . Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  63. ^ "End of a Hawks era as Clarkson calls time". 6 July 2021.
  64. ^ "The Hon. Jeff Kennett joins FOD as its New Chairman". Wise-Owl. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  65. ^ It's an Honour 26 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine – Companion of the Order of Australia
  66. ^ . Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  67. ^ . Archived from the original on 10 April 2013.
  68. ^ Quinn, Karl (28 March 2013). "Former premier of Victoria Jeff Kennett joins Seven news line-up" – via The Age.
  69. ^ Peter Ryan (14 February 2017). "Jeff Kennett engages ex-Seven West employee over leaked documents". ABC News.
  70. ^ Misa Han; Patrick Durkin (14 February 2017). "Jeff Kennett 'crossed the line' in baiting Amber Harrison: Stephen Mayne". Financial Times.

External links Edit

  • beyond blue website

Publications Edit

  • Kennett, Jeff. Policies and principles for Victoria, Melbourne: Sir Robert Menzies Lecture Trust, Monash University, 1993.
  • Kennett, Jeff. Victoria's Commonsense Revolution, Melbourne: Alfred Deakin Lecture Trust, 1995.
  • Kennett, Jeff. Australia – defining a model for the new millennium, London: University of London, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, Sir Robert Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, 1998.
  • Kennett, Jeff. Kennett: Insights & Reflections, Melbourne: Wilkinson Publishing, 2017.

Further reading Edit

  • Aldford, John & O'Neill, Deirdre (eds), Contract State: public management and the Kennett government, Geelong: Centre for Applied Research, 1994. 192 pages. ISBN 0-7300-2111-4
  • Costar, Brian & Economou, Nick (eds), The Kennett revolution : Victorian politics in the 1990s, Sydney: UNSW Press, 1999. 274 pages. ISBN 0-86840-545-0
  • Donovan, Barry (2000). Steve Bracks and Jeff Kennett: My part in their rise and fall, Melbourne: Information Australia. 224 pages. ISBN 1-86350-304-8
  • Parkinson, Tony (2000). Jeff: The Rise and Fall of a Political Phenomenon, Penguin: Melbourne. 471 pages. ISBN 0-670-88778-1
  • Strangio, Paul & Costar, Brian (eds) (2006). The Victorian Premiers: 1856–2006, Annandale: Federation Press. ISBN 1-86287-601-0
Victorian Legislative Assembly
Preceded by
New electorate
Member for Burwood
1976–1999
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Premier of Victoria
1992–1999
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of the Liberal Party in Victoria
1982–1989
Succeeded by
Preceded by Leader of the Liberal Party in Victoria
1991–1999
Succeeded by
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Ian Dicker
President of the Hawthorn Football Club
2005–2011
Succeeded by
Andrew Newbold
Preceded by
Richard Garvey
President of the Hawthorn Football Club
2017–2022
Succeeded by
Incumbent

jeff, kennett, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, biography, living, person, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, adding, reliab. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page especially if potentially libelous Find sources Jeff Kennett news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message The neutrality of this article is disputed Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met August 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC born 2 March 1948 is a former Australian politician who served as the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999 Leader of the Victorian Liberal Party from 1982 to 1989 and from 1991 to 1999 and the Member for Burwood from 1976 to 1999 1 He is currently a media commentator The HonourableJeff KennettAC43rd Premier of VictoriaElections 1985 1988 1992 1996 1999In office 6 October 1992 20 October 1999MonarchElizabeth IIGovernorRichard McGarvieSir James GobboDeputyPat McNamaraPreceded byJoan KirnerSucceeded bySteve BracksLeader of the Opposition of VictoriaIn office 20 October 1999 26 October 1999Preceded bySteve BracksSucceeded byDenis NapthineIn office 23 April 1991 6 October 1992Preceded byAlan BrownSucceeded byJoan KirnerIn office 5 November 1982 23 May 1989Preceded byLindsay ThompsonSucceeded byAlan BrownLeader of the Victorian Liberal PartyIn office 26 October 1982 23 May 1989Preceded byLindsay ThompsonSucceeded byAlan BrownIn office 23 April 1991 26 October 1999Preceded byAlan BrownSucceeded byDenis NapthineMember of the Victorian Parliament for BurwoodIn office 20 March 1976 2 November 1999Preceded byConstituency re establishedSucceeded byBob StensholtPersonal detailsBornJeffrey Gibb Kennett 1948 03 02 2 March 1948 age 75 Melbourne Victoria AustraliaPolitical partyLiberalSpouseFelicity Kellar m 1972 ProfessionMedia commentator former politicianSignatureHe was previously the president of the Hawthorn Football Club serving from 2005 to 2011 and again from 2017 to 2022 He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue a national organisation working to reduce the impact of depression and anxiety in the community 2 Contents 1 Early life 2 Political career 2 1 First term as premier 2 1 1 State school closures 2 1 2 Public transport 2 1 3 High profile capital works projects 2 1 4 Macedonian name dispute 2 2 Second term as premier 2 3 1999 election loss 2 4 Rumoured returns to politics 2 5 2020 Indigenous voice to government 3 Life after politics 3 1 Hawthorn FC presidency 3 1 1 Second stint 3 2 Chairman of The Original Juice Company 4 Honours 5 Media work 6 Bibliography 6 1 Forewords 7 References 8 External links 9 Publications 10 Further readingEarly life EditThe son of Kenneth Munro Gibb Kennett 1921 2007 and Wendy Anne Kennett 1925 2006 nee Fanning 3 he was born in Melbourne on 2 March 1948 4 He attended Scotch College 5 and although an unexceptional student academically he did well in the school s Cadet Corps Unit He also played football on the wing for the school 6 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 7 After leaving school Kennett was persuaded by his father Ken to attend the Australian National University in Canberra but lost interest and left 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 8 Kennett s life in the regular workforce was cut short when in 1968 he was conscripted into the Australian Army 9 Kennett was singled out as officer material early in his career and graduated third in his class from the Officer Training Unit Scheyville OTU Scheyville near Windsor New South Wales outside Sydney He was posted to Malaysia and Singapore as Second Lieutenant commander of 1st Platoon A Company 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment 1RAR 10 This military career and his earlier experience in the Scotch College Cadet Corps has been noted by many biographers as an essential formative influence on the adult Kennett s character His sense and regard for hierarchical loyalty punctuality and general intolerance of dissent or disobedience may be traced to this period 11 Kennett returned to civilian life in 1970 reentering a 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 12 Thereafter in December 1972 Kennett married Felicity Kellar an old friend whom he had first met on a Number 69 tram on the long trips to school 13 Their first son Ed was born in 1974 followed by a daughter Amy and two more sons Angus and Ross Political career EditKennett was elected as a Liberal Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly MLA for Burwood in 1976 having had an interest in local politics since the early 1970s 14 His preselection for the seat reportedly irritated then Premier Dick Hamer who disliked Kennett s campaigning style and had endorsed the sitting member Haddon Storey 14 However by 1981 Kennett was promoted to Cabinet as Minister for Housing Immigration and Ethnic Affairs He was one of several younger MPs whom Hamer promoted to Cabinet in a bid to renew his government Kennett retained his post when Hamer was replaced as Liberal leader and Premier by Lindsay Thompson in June of that year 14 Following the defeat of the longstanding Liberal government in 1982 Kennett was the leading candidate to replace Thompson despite being the youngest member of the outgoing government On 26 October he was elected leader of the Liberal Party and hence Leader of the Opposition He took an aggressive posture against the Cain government and was often criticised for his bull in a china shop style and his anti government rhetoric 15 Under his leadership the Liberals were heavily defeated by Labor in 1985 Afterwards he faced a challenge to his leadership of the party from Ian Smith Kennett survived easily but increasingly he was seen as an erratic and unapproachable leader citation needed He faced two more challenges to his leadership in 1986 and 1987 16 In 1987 in one notable incident Kennett referred to the Federal Liberal leader John Howard as a cunt in a mobile telephone conversation with Howard rival Andrew Peacock 17 The car phone conversation damaged both Howard and Kennett politically 18 but aided Peacock in his push to return as Federal Liberal leader 1989 19 Toward the end of its second term the Cain government had lost support and the Liberals were expected to win the 1988 election The Liberal vote indeed rebounded strongly they won a majority of the two party vote however much of this margin was wasted on landslide majorities in their heartland As a result the Liberals took only one seat from Labor in the capital and were left four seats short of a majority Failing to become premier Kennett was again criticised within his own party and in 1989 he was deposed in favour of a little known rural MLA Alan Brown Kennett s performance during his first stint as Liberal leader is a matter of debate Economou sees his 1985 and 1988 election campaigns as weak 16 while Parkinson believes he was a significant asset in pushing the Labor government of John Cain in several key seats First term as premier Edit Kennett publicly pledged never to attempt a return to the Liberal leadership However when Brown proved unable to challenge the government effectively he allowed his supporters to call a spill in 1991 Brown realised he didn t have enough support to keep his post and resigned allowing Kennett to retake the leadership unopposed With Victoria facing billions of dollars of debt Kennett was seen as Premier in waiting from the moment he retook the leadership Cain had resigned a year earlier in favour of Deputy Premier Joan Kirner who was unable to regain the upper hand despite being personally more popular than Kennett The Liberals advantage was strengthened by an important decision taken during Brown s brief tenure as leader negotiating a Coalition agreement with the National Party The Liberals and Nationals have historically had a strained relationship in Victoria they had sat separately for most of the second half of the 20th century It had been believed that Kennett had been denied victory in 1988 due to a large number of three cornered contests in rural seats The Coalition went into the October 1992 state election as unbackable favourites having been ahead in opinion polling by large margins for almost two years They stoked the voters anger with a series of Guilty Party ads targeting many Labor ministers and highlighting concerns in their portfolios In the second largest defeat that a sitting government has ever suffered in Victoria the Coalition scored a 19 seat swing attaining a 16 seat majority in the Legislative Assembly The Liberals won 52 seats enough for a majority in their own right Nevertheless Kennett supported his coalition partner retaining the Nationals in his cabinet State school closures Edit In the first three years of office funding for public schools and the Department of Education was substantially reduced 350 government schools were closed including every Technical High School Tech in Victoria and 7 000 teaching jobs eliminated 20 The Tech School closures had a widespread delayed effect two decades later when a skilled labour shortage in the state was declared by the government attributable largely to the generation of kids who were denied a trade focused high school education significantly reducing the number of school leavers commencing trade apprenticeships The few who did so were insufficient to counterbalance the number of retiring tradespeople in the coming years This directly resulted in the number of Skilled Migrant subclass 190 visas being made available each year increasing to 190 000 from 2012 21 and an active campaign to entice trade qualified foreigners to migrate to Victoria Public transport Edit Other controversial moves included the sacking of 16 000 public transport workers in a major technological upgrade of the system and the initiation of a major scheme for privatisation of state owned services including the electricity SECV and gas Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria utilities the ambulance service as well as several prisons and other minor services The sale of the Totalisator Agency Board raised 609 million Between 1995 and 1998 29 billion of state assets in gas and electricity alone were sold to private enterprise for statistics see Parkinson Jeff 1999 22 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 benefits to the State budget figures were indisputable in the short term the social and longer term economic cost of the Kennett reforms have been questioned by many commentators academics and those who suffered economically through the period of reform 23 24 25 26 This campaign of privatisations and cutbacks led to governmental acts of privatisation by splitting up Melbourne s rail Hillside Bayside V Line and West Coast Rail and tramways Yarra and Swanston or budget cutting becoming popularly known as being Jeffed 27 28 He also cut back many regional rail services including The Vinelander ran to Mildura services later restored to Maryborough as a regular V Line service in 2011 and services to Leongatha Bairnsdale returned in 2003 Dimboola services later returned to Ararat in 2004 The largest public protest in Melbourne since the Vietnam War Moratorium occurred on 10 November 1992 with an estimated 100 000 people marching in opposition to the retrenchment of many workers and the large State budget cutbacks Kennett was undeterred by this protest and famously commented that though there were 100 000 outside his office at Parliament that day there were 4 5 million who stayed at home or at work 29 30 High profile capital works projects Edit 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 which was widely opposed by the Victorian community at the time and IMAX theatre and a new 130 million Melbourne Convention and 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 of 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 relocation 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 the Chairman of the Melbourne Major Events Company helped deliver Melbourne the hosting rights for the event from Adelaide in 1993 31 The most controversial project of the Kennett era was the 1 85 billion Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex 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 successful were to dog the Kennett government for many years despite the verdict of an enquiry which found no wrongdoing on its behalf citation needed A 2 billion project to redevelop Melbourne s derelict Docklands area to include a new football stadium was also undertaken in addition to the large CityLink project a project resurrected from the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan aimed at linking Melbourne s freeways easing traffic problems in the inner city and reducing commuting times from the outer suburbs to the CBD citation needed Macedonian name dispute Edit In the mid 1990s Premier Kennett backed the Greek position over the Macedonian question 32 in his attempts to shore up local electoral support 33 Kennett s stance gained him supporters from the Melburnian Greek community whereas he was referred to as Kennettopoulos by the Macedonian community 32 At Kennett s insistence his state government in 1994 issued its own directive that all its departments refer to the language as Macedonian Slavonic and to Macedonians as Slav Macedonians 34 35 Reasons given for the decision were to avoid confusion be consistent with federal naming protocols toward Macedonians and repair relations between Macedonian and Greek communities 34 36 It was accepted that it would not impact the way Macedonians self identified themselves 34 The decision upset Macedonians as they had to use the terms in deliberations with the government or its institutions related to education and public broadcasting 37 The Macedonian Community challenged the decision on the basis of the Race Discrimination Act 38 After years of litigation at the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission HREOC the Federal Court and High Court previous judicial rulings were upheld that found Kennett s directive unlawful as it caused discrimination based on ethnic background and was struck down from usage in 2000 38 Second term as premier Edit Kennett s personal popularity was mostly average to 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 state election shaped up as the first test of the Kennett Revolution with the electorate The Coalition was expected to win a second term at the 30 March election albeit with a somewhat reduced majority At the federal election held four weeks earlier while Labor was heavily defeated it actually picked up a swing in Victoria However to the surprise of most commentators the Coalition only suffered a two seat swing allowing it to retain a comfortable 14 seat majority The Coalition actually picked up modest swings in Melbourne s outer suburbs which have traditionally decided most state elections Several negative 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 Nationals held almost all the seats The loss of the Mildura seat to 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 In this last case Kennett did not shy away from criticising the media but also the decision of the Howard government to not actively oppose Hanson s agenda 39 Kennett was influential in Melbourne bidding for the 2006 Commonwealth Games Three cities initially expressed interest in hosting the event Melbourne Wellington and Singapore Singapore dropped out before its bid was officially selected by the Commonwealth Games Federation leaving only two candidate cities In the weeks prior to the announcement of the 2006 host Wellington withdrew its bid citing the costs involved with matching the bid plan presented by Melbourne which became the default host without members of the Federation going to vote 40 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 perceived antipathy to Baragwanath led to 1997 legislation to restructure the office of the Auditor General and set up Audit Victoria While Kennett promised the independence of the office would be maintained many saw his government s actions as an attempt to curb the Auditor General s power to criticise government policy 41 Widespread community debate and substantial public dissent from Liberal MPs and Party members ensued with MLA Roger Pescott resigning from Parliament at the height of the debate citing his disagreement with this Bill and Kennett s style in general The Liberal Party lost the by election in Mitcham 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 affect 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 his party deputy These eventually came to nothing 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 declining support for his style of leadership Labor leader John Brumby took care to capitalise on each of Kennett s 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 1999 election loss Edit Despite Bracks appeal Kennett entered the 1999 election campaign with a seemingly unassailable lead and most commentators and opinion polls agreed that the Coalition would win a third term However in a shock result the Coalition suffered a 13 seat swing to Labor While there was only a modest swing in eastern Melbourne which has historically decided elections in Victoria the Coalition suffered significant losses in regional centres such as Ballarat and Bendigo ABC elections analyst Antony Green later said that when he first saw the results coming in it looked so unusual that he thought something was wrong with the computer 42 Initial counting showed Labor on 41 seats and the Coalition on 43 a supplementary election had to be held in Frankston East following the death of sitting independent Peter McLellan The balance of power rested with three independents Russell Savage Susan Davies and newly elected Craig Ingram Negotiations began between the Coalition and the three independents While Kennett acceded to all but two of their demands his perceived poor treatment of Savage and Davies in the previous parliament meant that they would not even consider supporting a Coalition minority government headed by Kennett On 18 October two days after Labor won the supplementary election in Frankston East the independents announced they would support a Labor minority government The agreement entailed Labor signing a Charter of Good Government pledging to restore services to rural areas and promising parliamentary reforms Kennett s supporters urged the Coalition 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 Kennett However with the Liberals divided on Kennett s future role Kennett retired from all of his offices saying he wished to have no further involvement in politics Labor won the ensuing by election in Burwood Rumoured returns to politics Edit Following the Liberals second successive defeat in the 2002 election rumours began that Kennett was planning a comeback to politics The issue came to a head in May 2006 after the sudden resignation of Kennett s successor Robert Doyle when Kennett announced he would contemplate standing in a by election for Doyle s old seat of Malvern 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 not return to Parliament rather than running against Ted Baillieu whom Kennett had been grooming for the top post since 1999 43 44 John Howard was reported to have been embarrassed by having publicly supported Kennett before his decision not to re enter politics 45 In 2008 it was rumoured that Kennett was planning to stand for Lord Mayor of Melbourne Despite endorsing future Lord Mayor John So in the 2001 mayoral elections Kennett was quoted as saying I think the city is ready for a change Kennett claimed he had been approached by a range of interests to run for the position but in the end did not do so 46 Former Liberal leader Robert Doyle ultimately won the election 2020 Indigenous voice to government Edit On 15 January 2020 it was announced that Kennett would be one of the members of the National Co design Group of the Indigenous voice to government 47 Life after politics Edit nbsp Kennett in 2006In 2000 Kennett became the inaugural chairman of beyondblue the National Depression Initiative a body that was largely formed by the efforts of the Victorian State Government On 24 June 2008 he announced that he would be stepping down from his role at beyondblue at the end of 2010 48 This did not happen 49 After 17 years as the chair of beyondblue he stood down in 2017 handing the reins to former PM Julia Gillard He stated beyondblue is part of my DNA outside my family it has been my most important role 50 Kennett has previously served on the boards of Australian Seniors Finance 51 a reverse mortgage company and SelecTV which was a satellite television group Kennett has said in an interview that he rarely thinks about the media or bloody history though he regrets the disastrous introduction of the Metcard ticketing system for trains and trams 52 Kennett angered gay rights groups in July 2008 when he supported the Bonnie Doon Football Club in their sacking of trainer Ken Campagnolo for being bisexual and compared homosexuality to pedophilia 53 Anti discrimination campaigner Gary Burns pursued an action in the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal against Kennett for making the following statement The club felt that once this had been pointed out and you had this gentleman there who was obviously close to young men massaging young men it ran an unnecessary risk and that s why it decided it was best that he not perform those duties again So the club was trying to do the right thing 54 The case was dropped due to Gary Burns lack of funds to pursue the case 54 Hawthorn FC presidency Edit On 14 December 2005 Kennett was made president of Hawthorn Football Club taking over from Ian Dicker 55 Following the exit of the St Kilda Football Club from the Tasmanian AFL market in 2006 Kennett was president when the Hawthorn Football Club negotiated a five year sponsorship deal with the Tasmanian state government The sponsorship deal was worth an estimated 12 million for which the Tasmanian government bought naming rights to the club s guernsey and the HFC committed to playing an agreed number of pre season and four regular season home games at York Park 56 Kennett was instrumental in Hawthorn s 2007 5 year business plan titled five2fifty the core idea being that in the next five years the club will target to win 2 premierships and have fifty thousand members As part of the plan the football club wants to be seen as the most professional club in the AFL and places great emphasis on the welfare of the people associated with the club 57 Following Hawthorn s 2008 AFL Grand Final victory over Geelong Kennett claimed that the Cats lacked the mentality to defeat Hawthorn this being in reference to the Cats inability to counter attack the running game of the Hawks in the aforementioned Grand Final 58 Kennett s comments led to the subsequent eleven match losing streak for Hawthorn against Geelong becoming known as the Kennett curse He stepped down at the end of his second three year term in 2011 he also changed the club s constitution so that presidents could only serve two 3 year terms Second stint Edit In what Fox Footy described as a stunning return 59 Kennett was announced as the president of the Hawthorn Football Club on 4 October 2017 following the sudden resignation of the incumbent president Richard Garvey 60 61 Garvey had taken criticism on the hiring and later sacking of club CEO Tracey Gaudry Kennett subsequently appointed Justin Reeves as the club s new CEO On 4 October 2017 he announced that he would serve the position for a full 3 year term Soon after his re appointment Kennett and the club released a vision statement outlining the future of the club up to 2050 The first five year strategic plan titled Dare to be Different will drive the club s priorities from 2018 to 2022 Kennett said Hawthorn we aren t ones to sit back and wait we work hard to achieve and deliver exciting results on and off the field Our vision for our strategic plan Dare to be Different encapsulates this as we continue to strive for excellence We have set ourselves some ambitious targets but all are within our grasp if we continue to innovate grow and forge new frontiers within the AFL industry 62 On 6 July 2021 Kennett and the Hawthorn board announced that they would not be renewing head coach Alastair Clarkson s contract following its expiry at the conclusion of the 2022 AFL Premiership season It was announced that Box Hill Hawks and Hawthorn development coach former player Sam Mitchell had been chosen by Kennett and the board to become the Hawthorn coach at the end of Clarkson s reign 63 Chairman of The Original Juice Company Edit On 12 December 2022 The Original Juice Company announced that it would appoint Kennett as Chairman and Non Executive Director 64 Honours EditIn the Australia Day Honours of 2005 Kennett received Australia s then highest civilian honour when he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia AC The honour was for service to the Victorian Parliament and the introduction of initiatives for economic and social benefit to business and commerce and to the community in the development of the arts sport and mental health awareness strategies 65 In May 2000 he was also awarded an honorary doctorate DBus Honoris Causa by the University of Ballarat 66 Media work EditFor 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 Since 2010 Kennett has been a regular contributor to Neil Mitchell s 3AW radio program every Thursday as a social commentator 67 On 28 March 2013 it was announced that Kennett had joined the Seven television network as national political commentator which will involve him appearing on breakfast show Sunrise every Tuesday and on Seven news as required 68 On 12 February 2017 Jeff Kennett engaged ex Seven West Media employee on Twitter over leaked documents potentially breaching the company s own gag order on Amber Harrison 69 70 Bibliography EditForewords Edit Kennett The Hon Jeff 2009 Foreword Taking Care of Yourself And Your Family By Ashfield John 10th ed Peacock Publications ISBN 9781921601347 References Edit nbsp Australia portal nbsp Biography portal nbsp Politics portal nbsp Sports portal Jeffrey Gibb Kennett Parliament of Victoria Victorian Government Retrieved 7 September 2023 beyondblue Four Weddings at School Chapel Kennett Fanning The Argus Thursday 3 April 1947 p 6 Weddings Celebrated The Age Thursday 3 April 1947 p 5 Births Kennett The Argus Wednesday 3 march 1948 p 2 Nick Economou Jeff Kennett The Larrikin Metropolitan in Paul Strangio and Brian Costar eds The Victorian Premiers 1856 2006 Annandale Federation Press 2006 p 365 Crawford S Jeff Kennett has a few kicks before the siren The Sunday Herald Sun 4 September 2011 permanent dead link Tony Parkinson Jeff The Rise and Fall of a Political Phenomenon Ringwood Penguin 2000 p 19 Parkinson Jef pp 22 23 Parkinson Jef p 24 Parkinson Jeff pp 25 29 Economou Jeff Kennett pp 365 366 Parkinson Jeff p 36 Neales S Jeff s Friend Flicka The Good Weekend 2 November 1996 pp 30 33 a b c Economou Jeff Kennett p 366 Economou Jeff Kennett pp 367 amp Cartoon 10 between pp 146 147 a b Economou Jeff Kennett p 368 australianpolitics com 1995 2006 Why Peacock was axed Sydney Morning Herald 24 March 1987 p 1 Kennett Peacock Car Phone Conversation Archived 12 December 2004 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 May 2006 STRUGGLE FOR A NEW PUBLIC DEMOCRACY School Community and the State by Tony Knight Northland Secondary College era 1992 1996 Australia s Visa Subclass 190 State Nominated Explained 20 July 2019 http www dtf vic au CA25713E0002EF43 WebObj BP4Final File BPFinal pdf permanent dead link Carbon price v privatisation which is worse in the Latrobe 3 July 2012 ECONOMIC AFFAIRS Privatisation has failed to deliver cheaper electricity Archived from the original on 1 May 2013 Retrieved 26 September 2012 Billion Nightmare The Age Melbourne On track for more of the same The Age Melbourne Hansard of the Legislative Assembly for the ACT Archived from the original on 3 March 2016 Retrieved 7 January 2014 Hansard of the Legislative Assembly for the ACT Archived from the original on 13 April 2012 Retrieved 7 January 2014 The Mayne Report The first days of Jeff Kennett Former Labor leader Steve Bracks says the Jeff Kennett era was a dangerous time Herald Sun 5 October 2012 Archived from the original on 4 October 2012 Retrieved 15 February 2013 Grand prix got Victoria on the move again Kennett Archived 22 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine By Jason Dowling 20 March 2010 The Age a b Danforth Loring M 1997 The Macedonian conflict Ethnic nationalism in a transnational world Princeton University Press p 172 ISBN 9780691043562 Jakubowicz Andrew 26 June 1995 The State Multiculturalism and Ethnic Leadership in Australia PDF Joint Seminar Institute of Commonwealth Studies Australian Studies Centre and the Centre for Multicultural Education University of London p 3 a b c Clyne amp Kipp 2006 p 27 Mulheron 2020 p 294 Mulheron Rachael 2020 Class Actions and Government Cambridge University Press pp 293 294 ISBN 9781107043978 Clyne amp Kipp 2006 p 28 a b Clyne Michael G Kipp Sandra 2006 Tiles in a Multilingual Mosaic Macedonian Filipino and Somali in Melbourne PDF Pacific Linguistics p 29 ISBN 9780858835696 George Megalogenis The Longest Decade Carlton North Scribe 2006 pp 212 213 Official Newsletter Volume 2 No 1 Archived 16 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine May 1999 Commonwealth Games Australia John Waugh The Kennett Government and the Constitution No Change in Brian Costar amp Nicholas Edonomou The Kennett Revolution Victorian Politics in the 1990s Sydney University of New South Wales Press 1999 pp 59 61 Comment by Antony Green at pollbludger 1 Archived 9 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine 8 May 2006 accessed 2 February 2010 Harrison Dan 5 May 2006 Kennett calls it quits The Age Melbourne Silkstone Dan 6 May 2006 Jeff admits I asked Ted the wrong question The Age Melbourne Austin and Tomazin Paul and Farrah 6 May 2006 Kennett backdown infuriates Howard The Age Melbourne Ferguson John 24 July 2008 Mayor race Eddie McGuire says no but Jeff Kennett might say yes Herald Sun permanent dead link National Co design Group Indigenous Voice Archived from the original on 18 July 2020 Retrieved 18 July 2020 Kennett to step down from beyondblue 23 June 2008 Archived from the original on 19 February 2013 Pollard Doug 29 September 2011 Time to walk away from beyondblue Mr Kennett Australian Broadcasting Corporation Archived from the original on 9 February 2013 Retrieved 27 January 2013 Beyond Blue Archived from the original on 26 July 2018 Retrieved 26 July 2018 Australian Seniors Finance 2006 The people behind the company Archived 12 December 2004 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 5 May 2006 Money Lawrence February 2009 Sensitive new age Jeff Royal Auto RACV 77 1 16 19 Jeff kennett gay storm Archived 1 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine Herald Sun a b Gay activist drops case against Kennett Sydney Morning Herald 8 September 2009 Official AFL Website of the Hawthorn Football Club 2006 Hawthorn FC Board Jeff Kennett President permanent dead link Retrieved 6 March 2006 Hawks confirm Tasmanian deal September 2006 Members rally to record number Hawthornf com au 1 April 2008 Retrieved 1 October 2008 permanent dead link Geelong lacks drive Jeff Kennett Herald Sun 23 March 2009 Hawthorn legally clears stunning return of Jeff Kennett as president after Richard Garvey resigns foxsports com au 4 October 2017 Jeff s back Kennett named Hawks president Kennett returns as president 2050 vision Archived from the original on 16 February 2018 Retrieved 16 February 2018 End of a Hawks era as Clarkson calls time 6 July 2021 The Hon Jeff Kennett joins FOD as its New Chairman Wise Owl 15 December 2022 Retrieved 27 March 2023 It s an Honour Archived 26 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine Companion of the Order of Australia Honorary Doctorates University of Ballarat Archived from the original on 20 June 2013 Retrieved 14 June 2013 Jeff Kennett Radio News 19 April 2010 Retrieved 28 March 2013 Archived from the original on 10 April 2013 Quinn Karl 28 March 2013 Former premier of Victoria Jeff Kennett joins Seven news line up via The Age Peter Ryan 14 February 2017 Jeff Kennett engages ex Seven West employee over leaked documents ABC News Misa Han Patrick Durkin 14 February 2017 Jeff Kennett crossed the line in baiting Amber Harrison Stephen Mayne Financial Times External links Edit nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Jeff Kennett beyond blue websitePublications EditKennett Jeff Policies and principles for Victoria Melbourne Sir Robert Menzies Lecture Trust Monash University 1993 Kennett Jeff Victoria s Commonsense Revolution Melbourne Alfred Deakin Lecture Trust 1995 Kennett Jeff Australia defining a model for the new millennium London University of London Institute of Commonwealth Studies Sir Robert Menzies Centre for Australian Studies 1998 Kennett Jeff Kennett Insights amp Reflections Melbourne Wilkinson Publishing 2017 Further reading EditAldford John amp O Neill Deirdre eds Contract State public management and the Kennett government Geelong Centre for Applied Research 1994 192 pages ISBN 0 7300 2111 4 Costar Brian amp Economou Nick eds The Kennett revolution Victorian politics in the 1990s Sydney UNSW Press 1999 274 pages ISBN 0 86840 545 0 Donovan Barry 2000 Steve Bracks and Jeff Kennett My part in their rise and fall Melbourne Information Australia 224 pages ISBN 1 86350 304 8 Parkinson Tony 2000 Jeff The Rise and Fall of a Political Phenomenon Penguin Melbourne 471 pages ISBN 0 670 88778 1 Strangio Paul amp Costar Brian eds 2006 The Victorian Premiers 1856 2006 Annandale Federation Press ISBN 1 86287 601 0Victorian Legislative AssemblyPreceded byNew electorate Member for Burwood1976 1999 Succeeded byBob StensholtPolitical officesPreceded byJoan Kirner Premier of Victoria1992 1999 Succeeded bySteve BracksParty political officesPreceded byLindsay Thompson Leader of the Liberal Party in Victoria1982 1989 Succeeded byAlan BrownPreceded byAlan Brown Leader of the Liberal Party in Victoria1991 1999 Succeeded byDenis NapthineSporting positionsPreceded byIan Dicker President of the Hawthorn Football Club2005 2011 Succeeded byAndrew NewboldPreceded byRichard Garvey President of the Hawthorn Football Club2017 2022 Succeeded byAndrew GowersIncumbent Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jeff Kennett amp oldid 1175302545, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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