The incumbent Labor Party government led by PremierJohn Cain Jr. won a third term in office, despite a swing against it, and only lost the seat of Warrandyte in Melbourne's north-east. This was credited by commentators to a strong campaign targeting Liberal leader and future Premier Jeff Kennett whose aggressive leadership style was still seen as a liability, as well as continuing instability in the federal Coalition.[1] Labor's narrow wins in middle class marginal seats saw it retain its majority despite the Liberals winning a bare majority of the two party preferred vote.[2]
On 23 May 1989, Jeff Kennett was voted out of the Liberal leadership in favour of Alan Brown; Brown led the party until 23 April 1991 when he was also forced out after a successful comeback by Kennett. During Brown's period as Opposition Leader, the Liberals negotiated the first coalition agreement with the Nationals in over forty years, in part due to a belief by some (in spite of what political scientist Brian Costar called a "lack of psephological evidence to support this assertion") that had the parties been in coalition at the election, they would have won.[7]
References
^Costar, Brian; Economou, Nick (1992). "Elections and Electoral Change 1982–92". In Considine, M.; Costar, B. J. (eds.). Trials in Power: Cain, Kirner and Victoria 1982–92. pp. 255–256.
^Shamshullah, Ardel (June 1989). "Australian Political Chronicle: July–December 1988: Victoria". Australian Journal of Politics and History. 35 (2): 252–253. ISSN0004-9522.
^B. J. Costar, 'Coalition Government: An Unequal Partnership' in B. J. Costar & N. Economou (eds) The Kennett Revolution: Victorian Politics in the 1990s, UNSW Press, Sydney, 1998, p. 89
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