The hallmark of Kate Carnell’s Chief Ministership has been a bright, optimistic, enthusiastic, tireless proponent for Canberra. Those characteristics were both her assets and her liabilities.
On one hand, the can-do, outcomes-based, push-ahead attitude resulted in an impatience with process, as if it were a hurdle to be got around or cut through rather than an important element in reaching good decisions. It meant when thing went wrong it was easy to lay blame. She could not easily lay out the paper trial with all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed. It gave those adversely affected by decisions easy grounds to feel disaffected. They were not consulted, or if they were consulted they were not listened to, or if they were listened to they were ignored.
On the other hand, the enthusiasm and hard work have made this city a better place with a brighter future than in 1995 when she came to office.
Unfortunately for her, the good side of her legacy is largely unseen and broad, whereas the bad side of it is in several very visible, emotive events.
On the good side is the saving of the ACT from the high-debt experience of South Australian and Victoria. Carnell reformed the ACT’s public finances and balanced the Budget. She encouraged the private sector. The proof is in the figures. Despite the Federal Government decimating our main industry (federal administration), the ACT has the lowest unemployment, highest job participation rate, highest average income, best educational retention rates and (despite the criticism) among the best health services in Australia.
It is ironic that she is losing office over a public-finance blow-out (Bruce Stadium) when her public financing has otherwise been laudatory. Indeed, in the long run the stadium is likely to prove beneficial for Canberra and when all said and done and tangible debt was created by it.
On the down side, though, are the hospital implosion, the futsal slab and Kinlyside where the can-do approach saw process and caution thrown aside with horrible results. The user-pays approach to Floriade almost resulted in the destruction of Floriade in order to save it and the V8 race drew widespread criticism for its secrecy of process and concern that public space and convenience was being used private gain.
Even the strife of her car accident fitted the same pattern – the enthusiastic hard-sell of Canberra (she was driving back from a promotional function) resulted in (literally) corner cutting, avoidance of process and almost catastrophe. She was fined for negligent driving.
The intangible legacy must be a change in Canberra’s economic mix and attitude to itself. It is no longer the public-sector city on the government tit. Federal Government outsourcing and down-sizing could have resulted in a wounded Canberra. Instead, Carnell’s pushing of the city elsewhere in Australia and overseas can be credited with ensuring the city was not deserted, but that it adapted and prospered with the change. And the proof is in the figures.
Kate Carnell came to Canberra and bought the Red Pharmacy in 1981. She was one of the few women owners of a pharmacy. Soon she was president of the ACT branch of the Pharmacy Guild. From there, by necessity she was engaged in politics.
She was selected as a Liberal Party candidate for the 1992 election, in the No 4 position – when the electoral system had the ACT a single seat and allowed party-line voting. She had joined the party only weeks beforehand. She was elected and became spokesperson on health in the Opposition.
She became a quick learner in ACT fractured political system. Her Bill restored fluoride in the water – restoring sanity – after the odd beliefs of an independent in the previous Assembly had led to it being taken out as part of a power deal.
She quickly became involved in harm-minimisation in drugs policy, arguing for a more available methadone program for heroin addicts.
Early on she made life as difficult as possible for Labor’s Health Minister Wayne Berry. In doing so she raised her own profile to the extent. She became the obvious replacement for Trevor Kaine who at that time was not seen as having much impact as Opposition Leader against Labor’s Rosemary Follett. In April 1993 she took over the leadership and led a highly active and hard-working Opposition. She also began a long campaign of wooing the cross-benches, notably the Greens and Michael Moore. Well before coming into Government she understood the importance in the ACT system of working with the cross-bench. In enabled her to win the Chief Ministership after the 1995 and 1998 elections without a majority of her own. Ultimately, though, it was the cross-bench including the man she beat for Liberal leadership, Trevor Kaine, that brought her down.
Kaine and Carnell had a poisonous relationship from the time Carnell took over leadership. Kaine never forgave her and worked for her downfall for seven years, believing he would be a better leader. Her downfall came, but not at Kaine’s hand, rather the hand of policeman turned politician Dave Rugendyke.
As Opposition Leader she ran a populist agenda for town-council style government for the ACT which Kaine publicly opposed as he did her stand on drugs, abortion and other social issues.
Ideologically, Carnell was a social wet and economic dry. She was small-l liberal on things like drugs, abortion, censorship, prostitution, gambling and so on. That philosophy stemmed from a belief that individuals have to be responsible for their own actions without the state dictating. She had the same philosophy on economic matters, encouraging individuals to do their own thing with minimum state interference.
In Opposition she was relentless in her attacks on waste and public-sector inefficiency. She ran a successful campaign against Health and Sports Minister Wayne Berry for his handling of the Vitab affair. It was her first scalp.
In Opposition she led attacks on Follett’s Labor Government for lack of vision and lack of response to public-sector cuts by the Hawke-Keating Governments. She presented her own vision for Canberra which struck a chord in voters’ minds in the 1995 election. It resulted in the unthinkable: Canberra, hitherto a notoriously Labor town which had elected Labor federal Members almost without exception for 40 years, elected a Liberal Government (Or at least have given the Liberals more votes and seats).
In Government, Carnell pursued drastic public-sector and fiscal reform and pursuit of business investment. Many have likened her to Victoria’s Jeff Kennett, who slashed and burned the Victorian public-sector. However, Carnell did more on the revenue side and less slashing and burning than Kennett. She brought ACT taxes and charges in line with NSW. It caused aggravation as the hitherto pampered ACT voters had to pay their own way. The alternative would have been sinking further into debt.
She brought to politics a rare small business/professional background. Australian politics is normally has lawyers, trade union officials, teachers. She can walk away proud of her commitment and achievements for Canberra, if somewhat bruised by the penalty for failing to consult and compromise. She will also be able to walk into any number of job offers for those who would appreciate her talents – something very few of her Assembly colleagues could manage.