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The Reforming, Transformative Howard Government?

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The Reforming, Transformative Howard Government? The Reforming, Transformative Howard Government? Suzanne Grant Bachelor of Arts with Honours Class I in the field of Political Science 2011 Bachelor of Arts with Majors in History and Political Science 2010 A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2014 School of Political Science and International Studies Abstract Some commentators consider the Howard government saved Australia from the tide of progressive liberalism lead by Paul Keating, some see it as a kind of economic superhero while others portray it as the creator of a Brutopia. What links all of this commentary is an agreement that the Howard government radically transformed Australian politics and the nation. Previous research has not systematically identified how, where and when Howard changed the Australian policy agenda relative to the Labor governments that preceded and followed it. This research introduces empirical measurement to the predominately non-quantitative literature in order to identify how and to what extent the Howard government significantly changed Australia’s policy agenda. This research finds that the Howard government cannot be considered a major disruption to Australia’s policy agenda. It argues that all governments analysed here: Hawke, Keating, Howard, Rudd and Gillard are remarkably similar in their choice of policy issues given priority, and the issues chosen to be excluded from the policy agenda. While statistically significant differences are found between the Howard and the Labor governments, these differences are few. This research suggests that the Howard government is not the turning point in Australian politics that much of the literature claims it to be and that the period is more accurately characterised by policy agenda convergence and continuity. i Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the policy and procedures of The University of Queensland, the thesis be made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 unless a period of embargo has been approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. ii Publications during candidature No publications. Publications included in this thesis No publications included. iii Contributions by others to the thesis No contributions by others. Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None. iv Acknowledgements Completing this research project owes a lot to the support and encouragement of many people. First, I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Andrew Hindmoor, who guided and shaped this work. I am particularly grateful for his willingness to continue his involvement with this project despite moving halfway around the world. His capacity to anticipate my weaknesses, his clear headedness and responsiveness to numerous drafts enabled this work to be produced and delivered before I had aged too greatly. The School of Political and International Studies at the University of Queensland provided a supportive and stimulating environment for this work to occur. Many academic staff within the department, particularly Dr Alastair Stark, Professor Kath Gelber and Dr Phil Orchard generously shared their time, experience, advice and encouragement throughout this process, for which I am very appreciative. I owe special thanks to Megan Weier, for her superior statistics knowledge and availability for specific questions about statistical testing methods. I would also like to express my gratitude to the School’s impressive cohort of PhD students, in particular I would like to thank Rebecca Shaw, Alissa Macoun, Sorcha Tormey, Michelle Dunn, Kristy Parker and Birte Althaus. Their friendship, willingness to empathise, sympathise, celebrate and consume cake made this time a rich and delightful one. Frequently, throughout the course of this project, I felt fortunate to be able to sit on my deck, sipping cups of tea, reading and thinking about things that I found fascinating. I am grateful for the opportunity to do this work and I am grateful to my husband David and my son Lachie for their belief in my capacity to do it. Without them, this project would not have been possible. This project has allowed me to be engaged in something that I think is important while affording me the capacity to combine it with my other roles as wife and mother, daughter and friend. v Keywords Policy agenda, policy punctuation, Policy Agendas Project, Comparative Manifestos Project, ideology, John Howard, Howard government Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) ANZSRC code: 160601, Australian Government and Politics, 80% ANZSRC code: 160603, Comparative Government and Politics, 10% ANZSRC code: 160699, Political Science, 10% Fields of Research (FoR) Classification FoR code: 1606, Political Science, 100% vi Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. i! Declaration by Author ......................................................................................................................... ii! Publications during Candidature ........................................................................................................ iii! Publications Included in This Thesis ................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.! Contributions by Others to the Thesis ............................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.! Acknowledgements ........................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.! Keywords ............................................................................................................................................ vi! Contents ............................................................................................................................................. vii! List of Figures ..................................................................................................................................... xi! List of Tables .................................................................................................................................... xiii! List of Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................ xiv! Chapter 1! Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1! Chapter 2! Literature Review ........................................................................................................... 14! Chapter 3! Methods .......................................................................................................................... 31! 3.1! Policy Agendas ....................................................................................................................... 32! 3.2! The Policy Agendas Project .................................................................................................... 36! 3.3! Why the Policy Agendas Project? .......................................................................................... 39! 3.4! Comparative Manifestos Project ............................................................................................. 40! 3.5! Why the Comparative Manifestos Project? ............................................................................ 44! 3.6! Instruments ............................................................................................................................. 45! 3.7! Limitations of Research Design .............................................................................................. 48! 3.8! Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 52! Chapter 4! Howard’s Agenda .......................................................................................................... 53! 4.1! Macroeconomics ..................................................................................................................... 55! 4.2! Civil Rights, Minority Issues and Civil Liberties ..................................................................
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