A curate's egg, but far from rotten

Inexplicably, the "strategists" running Labor's 2011 campaign in NSW have failed to learn from federal Labor's grievous mistakes last year.

Does no-one recall the tragic failure of Kim Beazley's meek if well-meaning "small target strategy" – his inability or unwillingness, in two stints as federal Opposition Leader (1996-2001 and 2005-06), proudly to defend the nation-changing policies of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating?

The moral is this: There is no point in electing a Labor Government, state or federal, if its principal ambition is gaining or retaining office for its own sake.

The Coalition exists to preserve the status quo; occasionally, it may attempt further to entrench, or advance, the vested interests of its supporters. It's thus logical and understandable that, in the ordinary course, the Coalition will seek to keep itself in office by whatever means necessary. (That's why, until recently, the Liberal Party axed its unpopular or underperforming leaders more ruthlessly than Labor.)

For Labor, it's far smarter to go down honourably – like Gough Whitlam in 1975, or Keating in '96, even Barrie Unsworth in NSW in '88. That way, the faith is kept with the party's most committed supporters. And the next time progressive reform is needed, the people will turn to Labor.

In the days remaining until March 26, I'd like to hear Kristina Keneally stressing the following points.

Myth Number 1: NSW Labor has been economically inept

To the contrary, just as Peter Costello's stewardship of the federal budget was the best thing about Howard's government, fiscal prudence was Carr's trademark, especially when the redoubtable Michael Egan was Treasurer. It would be hard to imagine a more austere and responsible pair than Carr and Egan. From 1995-2005, net government debt in NSW was reduced from 7.4 per cent of gross state product to zero. In FY2010 the figure was only 2.2%.

Myth Number 2: NSW Labor has neglected infrastructure

In fact, its record is quite decent, especially in respect of the period before 2005. In Carr's ten budgets, over $60 billion was allocated to new infrastructure: hospitals; rail (including the Epping to Chatswood link); roads (the M5 extension, Eastern Distributor, M7 Westlink, Lane Cove Tunnel, Cross City Tunnel, bus transit lanes); and other worthy projects completed or underway (including Barangaroo). The 2000 Olympics were a triumph.

Of course, NSW – Sydney especially – has major infrastructure problems. But many of these are endemic, the result of lack of urban planning in decades past and a burgeoning population.

Myth Number 3: NSW Labor has mismanaged the state's public school and public hospital systems