View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Research Online University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016 University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2004 The radical neo-liberal movement as a hegemonic force in Australia, 1976-1996 Damien C. Cahill University of Wollongong Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses University of Wollongong Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorise you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: This work is copyright. 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Recommended Citation Cahill, Damien C, The radical neo-liberal movement as a hegemonic force in Australia, 1976-1996, PhD thesis, History and Politics Program, University of Wollongong, 2004. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/193 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] The Radical Neo-liberal Movement as a Hegemonic Force in Australia, 1976-1996 A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY from UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG by DAMIEN CONNOLLY CAHILL B.A. (Hons) University of Wollongong HISTORY AND POLITICS PROGRAM 2004 CERTIFICATION I, Damien Connolly Cahill, declare that this thesis, submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy, in the History and Politics Program, University of Wollongong, is wholly my own work, unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. The document has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic institution. ………………………………….. Damien Connolly Cahill 24th June 2004 iii Contents Introduction 1 1. Hegemony, Class Conflict and Elite Social Movements 16 2. Radical Neo-liberal Ideology 59 3. Radical Neo-liberalism as an Elite Social Movement 102 4. The Hegemonic Context: Conflict and Change within Australian Capitalism 144 5. The Radical Neo-liberal Movement and the Capitalist Class 193 6. The Radical Neo-liberal Movement and the Mass Media 231 7. The Radical Neo-liberal Movement and the State 272 Conclusion 318 Bibliography 323 iv FIGURES 1.1 Levels of Hegemony 40 TABLES 6.1 Fairfax Media Coverage of Select Radical Neo-liberal Movement Organisations 238 6.2 Radical Neo-liberals as Columnists 240 7.1 Radical Neo-liberals as Federal Public Servants 274 7.2 Radical Neo-liberal Activists Within the Coalition Parties 293 v Abbreviations AACF Australian Association for Cultural Freedom ACC Australian Chamber of Commerce ACCI Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry ACM Australian Chamber of Manufacturers ACTU Australian Council of Trade Unions AFE Australian Federation of Employers AFEF Australian Free Enterprise Foundation AIPP Australian Institute for Public Policy ALP Australian Labor Party AMIC Australian Mining Industry Council AMWSU Amalgamated Metal and Shipwrights Union ARTF Australian Road Transport Federation ARTIO Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation BCA Business Council of Australia CAI Confederation of Australian Industry CIA Central Intelligence Agency CIS Centre for Independent Studies CoPS Centre of Policy Studies COSBOA Council of Small Business Associations Australia CRA Conzinc Riotinto of Australia ETU Electrical Trades Union vi IEA Institute of Economic Affairs ICI Imperial Chemical Industries IPA (NSW) Institute of Public Affairs (NSW) IPA Institute of Public Affairs IPE Institute for Private Enterprise LDRTA Long Distance Road Transport Association ML Mitchell Library MTIA Metal Trades Industry Association NBAC Noel Butlin Archives Centre NFF National Farmers’ Federation NPP National Priorities Project NTF National Transport Federation SEQEB South East Queensland Electricity Board WMC Western Mining Corporation vii Abstract This thesis examines the radical neo-liberal movement — commonly labelled the ‘new right’ — as a hegemonic force in Australia between 1976 and 1996. It argues that the movement, through its think tanks, greatly assisted the process whereby the Australian state and economy were reorganised. Such assistance took the form of disorganising opponents of neo-liberalism; helping to shift elite debate to the Right; and offering a language and framework for critiquing the welfare state. It is argued that, in doing this, the radical neo-liberal movement acted as a vanguard for neo- liberal hegemony in Australia. The thesis critically analyses the ideology of the radical neo-liberal movement as well as discussing the ways in which radical neo-liberals cohered as a movement. It assesses the relationship between the movement and the capitalist class, the commercial media and the Australian state, all of which are key sites and agents of hegemonic struggle. It is argued that the effectiveness of the radical neo-liberal movement was primarily due to the links it was able to forge with key fractions of Australian capital. These fractions — predominantly finance, mining and monopoly capital — were also the ones that mobilised to bring about the neo-liberal reorganisation of the Australian state and economy. In acting as a vanguard movement for neo-liberal hegemony, the radical neo-liberals supported the interests of these capitalist fractions. By understanding the radical neo-liberals as a movement, this thesis examines the way in which a ‘non-class’ group had an impact that was class relevant. viii Published Material Some of the material in this thesis was included in articles and chapters published during my doctoral candidacy. My early thoughts on the relationship between radical neo-liberal activists and hegemony were developed in Damien Cahill, ‘Neo-liberal Intellectuals as Organic Intellectuals? Some Notes on the Australian Context’, Paper Presented to the APSA Conference, ANU, 2000, which was published in the refereed proceedings of the APSA 2000 Conference. My analysis of the movement’s new class discourse, which grew out of my honours thesis, was published in Damien Cahill, ‘The Australian Right’s New Class Discourse and the Construction of the Political Community’ in Ray Markey (ed.), Labour and Community: Historical Essays, University of Wollongong Press, Wollongong, 2001, pp. 345-361 and Damien Cahill, ‘Why the Right Uses ‘Class’ Against the Left’, Arena Journal, No. 16, 2000/1, pp. 151-162. My thoughts on the mass media and hegemony were first developed in Damien Cahill, ‘The Anti-WEF Protests and the Media’, Social Alternatives, Vo. 20, January 2001, pp. 63-67. The broad argument of this thesis was first published in Damien Cahill, ‘Funding the Ideological Struggle’, Overland, 168. Spring 2002, pp. 21-26. In the following forthcoming publications I first the notions of ‘One Nation’ and ‘Two Nations’ hegemonic strategies and their relationship to the radical neo-liberal movement: Damien Cahill, ‘New Class Discourse and the Construction of Left-wing Elites’ in Marian Sawer and Barry Hindess (eds), Us and Them: Anti-Elitism in Australia, API Network, St. Lucia, 2004 and Damien Cahill, ‘Contesting Hegemony: The Radical Neo-liberal Movement and the Ruling Class in Australia’ in Nathan Hollier (ed), Ruling Australia: The Power, Privilege and Politics of the New Ruling Class, Australian Scholarly Publishing, Melbourne, 2004. ix Much of the broad argument of the thesis was first developed in this published material. x Acknowledgements There are many who deserve thanks for facilitating the completion of this thesis. Thanks to Anthony Ashbolt, the primary supervisor of my thesis, for getting me over the line and for teaching me that an academic is one who is active and engaged. To Stephen Reglar, my secondary supervisor, whose insightful comments have shaped more than just this thesis - thankyou Thanks to those who read and commented on sections of this thesis: Kylie Smith; Susan Engel; Alistair Davidson; Andrew Wells; Michele Ford; Tim Cahill; Rowan Cahill; Erin Cahill; Pamela Cahill and Angela Pratt. Thanks also to those who gave of their time and offered valuable insights that helped me develop my arguments: Peter Sheldon; Andrew Gamble; Diane Stone; Sharon Beder; Terry Irving; Marx Rix and Susan Dodds. Thanks to those whose friendship and support helped me through the thesis process: Kazuhiro Monden; Deborah Gough; Karl James; Charles Hawksley; Jen Hawksley; Cath Ellis; Cath Clegg; Calum MacLeod; Jason Hart; Sussanah Rizzo; Jasmin Sydee; Vicki Crinis; Natalie Peters; Ben Maddison; John McQuilton; Becky Walker; Renee Kyle; Ben