jewel in the Liberal crown

jewel in the Liberal crown

1. (Australian politics, historical) Victoria, a state of Australia
2. (Australian politics) any state where the Liberal Party has a large supporter base, especially New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania

"Liberal" refers to the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. Before 1985, the Liberal Party was dominant in Victoria and the Labor Party was dominant in the most populous parts of New South Wales (i.e Sydney and the Hunter Region). However, after the late 1980s, this began to change, with the Liberal Party (in coalition with the National Party) having governed New South Wales for 12 years, while the Labor Party is dominant in Victoria. Due to this, the term has now been applied to New South Wales and Queensland, as well as increasingly to Tasmania. Victoria has even been referred to as the "jewel in the Labor Party's crown".