Editing Jeff Kennett (section)

===1999 election loss===
Despite Bracks' appeal, Kennett entered the [[1999 Victorian state election|1999 election]] campaign with a seemingly unassailable lead, and most commentators and opinion polls agreed that the Coalition would win a third term.

However, in a shock result, the Coalition suffered a 13-seat swing to Labor.  While there was only a modest swing in eastern Melbourne, which has historically decided elections in Victoria, the Coalition suffered significant losses in regional centres such as [[Electoral district of Ballarat East|Ballarat]] and [[Electoral district of Bendigo East|Bendigo]].  ABC elections analyst [[Antony Green]] later said that when he first saw the results coming in, it looked so unusual that he thought "something was wrong with the computer."<ref>Comment by [[Antony Green]] at pollbludger ([http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/?p=356#comments] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140509001053/http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/?p=356#comments|date=9 May 2014}}, 8 May 2006, accessed 2 February 2010.</ref>

Initial counting showed Labor on 41 seats and the Coalition on 43; a supplementary election had to be held in [[Electoral district of Frankston East|Frankston East]] following the death of sitting independent [[Peter McLellan]].  The balance of power rested with three independents--[[Russell Savage]], [[Susan Davies]] and newly elected [[Craig Ingram]].  Negotiations began between the Coalition and the three independents. While Kennett acceded to all but two of their demands, his perceived poor treatment of Savage and Davies in the previous parliament meant that they would not even consider supporting a Coalition [[minority government]] headed by Kennett. On 18 October, two days after Labor won the supplementary election in Frankston East, the independents announced they would support a Labor minority government.  The agreement entailed Labor signing a Charter of Good Government, pledging to restore services to rural areas, and promising parliamentary reforms.

Kennett's supporters urged the Coalition to force a vote of 'no confidence' on the floor of the parliament in a last-ditch effort to force Savage, Davies and Ingram to support Kennett. However, with the Liberals divided on Kennett's future role, Kennett retired from all of his offices, saying he wished to have no further involvement in politics.  Labor won the ensuing by-election in Burwood.