Electorate tiring of blame game at state level

PYRAMID and the State Bank gave Jeff Kennett plenty of ammunition through the 1990s to blame his Labor predecessors.

The “guilty party” of Cain and Kirner was a good punching bag until 1998 or 1999, when voters felt like it did not stick any more.

So out went Jeff and in came Steve.

The Bracks government found the Vegemite (you either loved or hated him) qualities of Kennett a convenient way to deflect from its problems.

The punching bag was revived and it, too, proved successful — the 2002 state election was almost fuelled on an anti-Jeff sentiment.

That too grew tried around 2007 or 2008.

And so the Punch and Judy formula continues to this day.

The State Government has rolled out its tried and tested lines this week, belting its predecessors for the closure of the Geelong Private Hospital.

State Roads Minister Luke Donnellan used it to defend the government’s inertia on the 110km/h issue.

The line effectively goes: “Our government is wonderful and any perceived problems are caused by our predecessors”.

Voters are growing tired of governments of either hue not taking responsibility for their decisions.

How many years does it take for a state government to stop blaming its predecessors and use a different defence?

It is a pertinent question for modern campaigning given rapid advances in communications technology make 2014 feel like a long time ago.

We will find out the answer in November.