Ladder of opportunity
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The ladder of opportunity is a catchphrase coined by former Australian Opposition Leader Mark Latham to describe the process of social advancement or the elevation to higher social classes of Australian citizens. After defeating Kim Beazley for the role of Leader of the Opposition, Mark Latham coined the political slogan in his first press conference to describe what he stood for as Labor leader and alternative Prime Minister.{{Cite web |title=Speech to the Victorian Labor Party Conference: Melbourne: 6 December 2003. |url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:%22media/pressrel/JL3B6%22 |access-date=15 May 2024 |website=Parliament of Australia}}
The ladder of opportunity was a phase to inspire middle class 'aspirational' Australian voters.{{Cite web |last=Manning |first=Haydon |date=4 July 2005 |title='Aspirational Voters' and the 2004 Federal Election |url=http://www.australianreview.net/digest/2005/07/manning.html |access-date= |website=Australian Review of Public Affairs}} {{Cite journal |last=Johnson |first=Carol |date=22 September 2010 |title=Mark Latham and the ideology of the ALP |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/103614042000295138 |journal=Australian Journal of Political Science |language=en |volume=39 |issue=3 |pages=535–551 |doi=10.1080/103614042000295138 |issn=1036-1146}} Mark Latham recognised that the primary concern of voters was personal economic advancement, and coined an easy-to-understand phrase to capture the minds of the traditional Labor voter.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
The phrase would feature prominently in the 2004 federal election;{{Cite news |date=2004-08-29 |title=It's time for a change, Latham says |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-08-29/its-time-for-a-change-latham-says/2034370 |access-date=2024-05-15 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}{{Cite news |date=2004-01-28 |title=Latham outlines vision for a Labor government |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-01-29/latham-outlines-vision-for-a-labor-government/127210 |access-date=2024-05-15 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}} an election that Labor and Latham would go on to lose.{{Cite web |title=Election Speeches · Mark Latham, 2004 · Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House |url=https://electionspeeches.moadoph.gov.au/speeches/2004-mark-latham |access-date=2024-05-15 |website=electionspeeches.moadoph.gov.au}}