Public management reform: some lessons from The Antipodes

This paper examines the implementation of new public management in Victoria between 1992 and 1999, During this period public sector reform in Victoria was taken further than any other jurisdiction in Australia through the extensive application of privatisation programs, competitive tendering and contracting and private sector management practices. In the process, the Victorian public sector was radically restructured. But despite this record of significant change, the Kennett government was unexpectedly defeated at the 1999 election. The paper argues that while new public management is a powerful tool, it does have political, financial and practical implications. The paper concludes that governments must pay heed to these if they are not to suffer the most serious consequences of all - electoral failure.