Three prime ministers — Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott — in three months: Has Australia caught the Japan political disease of playing musical chairs with the head of government?
For the Australian Labor Party, a crushing defeat on Saturday night was the finale of a tragedy in five acts. Because the result is more a repudiation of internecine Labor infighting than an enthusiastic endorsement of Coalition philosophy and policies, it does not mark an ideological shift to the right. For new Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the results were just rewards for leading a remarkably disciplined, stable and united team through three years of national political turmoil and global economic turbulence. In foreign relations, the results may portend subtle shifts in nuance and emphasis but not a fundamental reorientation.
The Hawke-Keating Labor governments (1983-96) won five terms and left a legacy of major policy innovation and competent economic management. The Howard government (1996-2007) won four terms and left the country in sound financial health. The underlying fundamentals and a resources boom to feed China's and India's voracious growth helped Australia weather the global financial crisis of and since 2008 remarkably well.