Exit left: the case of Australian state Labor

Abstract

This chapter evaluates the case of Australian state (Labor) governments. It outlines four distinctive state Labor governments in Australia in the states of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. In all cases, Labor held office for a relatively sustained period of time, before eventually losing. These state Labor governments offered a distinctive approach to governance that reshaped and renewed the trajectory of social democracy, especially in the face of neoliberal economic settings. Yet, in almost all these cases, these Labor governments were ejected from office. However, in contrast to some of the other cases in this volume, Labor has regained power in many of the state jurisdictions. So, while the Labor model of ‘strategic government’ might have passed, there might be further lessons here about how Labor can regain power.