Labor in Power
| Company type | Documentary series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Products | Documentary television series |
| Parent | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
Labor in Power is a 1993 Australian documentary series produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that examines the first decade of the Hawke-Keating government. The series is composed of five episodes, each lasting one hour, and was originally aired between 8 June and 6 July 1993.
Captured during a time when interview subjects anticipated defeat in the 1993 Australian federal election, the documentary offers unfiltered perspectives from a critical juncture. The concluding episode features the unexpected election outcome that granted the Keating administration an additional term, establishing the longest uninterrupted tenure for the century-old Australian Labor Party.
A central motif throughout the series is the confidential Kirribilli Agreement of 1988 and its ramifications. The first episode explores leadership challenges in 1982 and 1983 that preceded Labor’s ascension to power, as well as the 1984 election which diminished Labor’s parliamentary majority. Episode four delves into the recession of the early 1990s, while episode five addresses significant events such as the Gulf War, leadership changes in June and December 1991, and the 1993 federal election.
Although created prior to the conclusion of Labor’s governance, Labor in Power established a model for ABC’s extended historical documentaries focusing on Australian federal administrations. This approach was later continued with productions like The Howard Years, The Killing Season, and Nemesis, with ABC adopting a policy of releasing such works only after a government has been defeated.
Awards
- 1993 Gold Walkley awarded to Philip Chubb and Sue Spencer
- 1993 Walkley Award for Best Application of the Television Medium to Journalism, Philip Chubb and Sue Spencer
- Logie Awards of 1994, Most Outstanding Documentary
See also
- The Howard Years, documenting the Coalition government from 1996 to 2007
- The Killing Season, covering the Labor government from 2007 to 2013
- Nemesis, chronicling the Coalition government from 2013 to 2022