On Saturday 24 November, Australian political history was made when the Labor party, led by Kevin Rudd, inflicted a punishing defeat on the ruling conservative Liberal/National coalition. After 11 and a half years in opposition, Labor won over 20 seats from the conservatives, including the prime minister’s own constituency of Bennelong, in one of the largest recorded electoral swings.

The reasons for Howard’s loss have been extensively analysed. Controversial labour market reforms, environmental neglect and a series of interest rate rises have been blamed for the government’s defeat. More often though, it has been argued that Howard simply outstayed his welcome, had grown tired and voters were attracted by a dynamic and fresh alternative. However, on its own this explanation ignores the considerable forces that stood in the conservatives’ favour. Australia is experiencing unprecedented prosperity on the back of a commodities boom and the growth of India and China. In spite of some high profile policy failures, the government was perceived as competent. Therefore, analysis needs to turn to what Rudd did to engineer this stunning victory.

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