Ep.278: The Big Flip: How Steve Bracks Helped Win Victoria for Labor

“Kennett was … ripping the heart out of country areas.” 25 years ago in Victoria, Jeff Kennett’s Liberal Party was up for re-election. Holding a large majority of seats, they were expected to win the election and entrench another generation of conservative rule in Victoria. But, in the background, the Steve Bracks-led Labor Party was building momentum in unlikely places. What resulted was a political upheaval that surprised everyone - even, until the final stretch, Steve Bracks. In this week’s episode, Stephen Donnelly is joined by the 44th Premier and the man himself, Steve Bracks. He tells us how they did it, and why assuming leadership of the party was one of toughest choices of his career. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction 01:46 The Back Story 12:51 Replacing John Brumby 19:48 Steve’s Strategy 23:39 Going Head to Head with Kennett 26:49 Reaching Out to the Regions 31:40 The Prognosis 36:33 Election Night 45:06 Courting the Independents 53:53 Declaring Victory 57:24 Successive Wins 59:22 Mic Drop! The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au Support the show Socially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic. Access ad-free episodes and send in questions by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SociallyDemocratic If you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app. Follow Us on Socials: Facebook (https://tr.ee/9jGIOy) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sociallydemocratic) LinkedIn (https://tr.ee/YxyYJh) X (https://x.com/SocialDemPod) YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@DunnStreet) The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au