Trials in Power

A decade ago the Cain Labor government came to office with a reform agenda seldom matched in postwar Australian politics. Innovation and commitment to change were the hallmarks of the new administration. Landmark policies in the areas of environment and conservation, affirmative action, freedom of information, law reform and occupational health were among the many initiatives which were intended to give Victoria its most progressive government this century. A decade later, a crippled government awaited its end. Prolonged controversies surrounding the sale of the State Bank, the collapse of Tricontinental, the closure of Pyramid Building Society and burgeoning state debt were just a few of the intractable problems which wiped out the promise of further reform and renovation. "Trials in power" is a comprehensive and challenging survey of Labor's decade in office. Here the policies and programmes of the Cain and Kirner governments are subjected to a scrutiny which raises fundamental questions about government in today's Australia. "Mark Costar and Brian Considine are lecturers in Political Science at University of Melbourne.".