Australia's only annual triple-bottom line assessment of government performance.

The State of the States: Past results

By the Evatt Foundation

Thirteen years of The State of the States.

The first edition of the Evatt Foundation's State of the States series was published in 1994. The initial inspiration was to offer a challenge to the narrow, financially-driven assessments of Australia's sub-national governments that are promulgated by the domestic outlets of the two major New York based transnational credit rating corporations, Moody's Investor Services and the Standard & Poor's. The initial 1993-94 report included the inaugural State Government League Table, and expressed the hope that the series would become "an annual publication which will provide a source of reference for the overall evaluation of Australian government performance".

Now in its 13th year, the below Tables show the past assessments and note the political parties in office during the relevant period. The past results provide checks against the 2006 positions, since they can reveal longer-term trends and directions and expose annual disguises and aberrations.

In view of how long it can take to change a state's priorities, it is also important to recognise that noting the party in government beside the results does not necessarily imply a causal link. Theoretically, it is true that, by virtue of the methodology (as distinct from crude manipulation or bias), the League Table might be expected to favour Labor governments. This follows from the observation that the broadly based character of the measures reflects more of a social democratic philosophy than neo-liberalism or economic rationalism. The Foundation upholds the idea of an assessment method that seeks to identify the state that comes closest to attaining that magic balance: excellent social services, uncompromising environmental protection, and buoyant, job-filled economic activity.

Table 1: Past Results from the State Government League Table (showing Parties)

The year refers to the year of publication. Up until 1998 a mix of indicators from the previous calandar and financial years were used and the period of assessment covered the prior 18 months. From 1998 the asessments cover the twelve months to the prior June

+ Indicates the result was tied

* The Territories were included in 1994 and 1995 (the ACT came 2nd in 1994 and 1st in 1995; the NT came 5th in 1994 and 3rd in 1995)

Table 2: Past Social, Environmental and Economic Results

*The 1994 assessment also included financial and administration categories; the 1995 assessment also included financial, industrial relations, administration and cultural categories.

Also on the Evatt site:

• Read the results from The State of the States 2006.
• Read the editor's introduction to The State of the States 2006.
• Buy The State of the States 2006 securely online. Click here for more information.

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