Neoliberalizing Design and the State: The Political Origins of Australian Design Policy and Design Education Reform, 1987–1991

Abstract This article draws attention to the state involvement in national design agendas through the example of Australia’s Hawke Government, focusing on 1987 to 1991. It unearths the origins of Australian design policy and reforms to design education within an emerging neoliberal political economy in the 1980s. Drawing on gray literature, the article reveals how this was a period of intensive political rhetoric regarding design and design education, during which the government—led by the Australian Labor Party—specifically promoted the role of design in industry policy. Better design, it was hoped, could enhance the international competitiveness of Australian-made exports, thereby addressing trade imbalances and boosting manufacturing. This increasing emphasis on design occurred in a highly politicized environment and in tandem with the restructuring of Australian tertiary education (known as the “Dawkins revolution”), alongside the discursive notion of Australia as a “clever country.” In essence, this government-led politicization of design meant that Australian design was understood as operating exclusively to “meet the needs of industry,” with industrial design prioritized. While hindsight indicates that this strategy was unsuccessful in enhancing manufacturing, the legacy of this neoliberal framing of design continues to reverberate, particularly in mainstream understandings of design.