Bob Hawke

Robert James Lee Hawke (born December 9 1929), Australian trade union leader and politician, was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia. After a decade as leader of the Australian union movement, he entered politics and was Prime Minister within three years. He became by far the longest-serving Labor Prime Minister, and was second-longest-serving Prime Minister overall until December 2004, when John Howard overtook him. But critics continued to dismiss him as a populist, whose focus on "consensus" resulted in the abandonment of many traditional Labor values.

Trade union leader

Part of Hawke's work at the ACTU was the presentation of its annual case for higher wages to the national wages tribunal, the Conciliation and Arbitration Commission. He attained such success and prominence in this role that in 1969 he was encouraged to run for ACTU President, despite the fact that he had never held office in a trade union, or indeed ever worked for a wage.

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He was elected to the presidency of the ACTU in 1969 on a modernising platform, by a narrow margin (399 to 350) and with the support of the left of the union movement, including some associated with the Communist Party.

Related Topics:
1969 - Communist Party

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Although a self-declared socialist, Hawke's approach to its principles was pragmatic and he was concerned to make any possible improvements to workers' lives from within the traditional institutions of government, rather than to any idealogical theory. He opposed the Vietnam war, but was a strong supporter of the US-Australian alliance, and also an emotional supporter of Israel.

Related Topics:
Socialist - Vietnam war - Israel

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In industrial matters, Hawke continued to demonstrate a preference for and considerable skill at negotiation, and was generally liked and respected by employers as well as the unions he advocated for. As early as 1972 speculation began that he would soon enter Parliament and become Labor leader. But while his career continued successfully, his heavy use of alcohol and his notorious womanising placed considerable strains on his family life.

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In 1973 Hawke became Federal President of the Labor Party. When the Whitlam government was defeated in 1975, Whitlam initially offered the Labor leadership to Hawke, although it was not within Whitlam's power to decide who would succeed him. Hawke decided not to enter Parliament at that time, a decision he soon regretted. The strain of this period took its toll, and in 1979 he suffered a physical collapse.

Related Topics:
1973 - Whitlam government - 1975 - 1979

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This shock led Hawke to make a sustained and ultimately successful effort to conquer his alcoholism - John Curtin was his inspiration in this as in other things. He was helped in this by his relationship with the writer Blanche d'Alpuget, who in 1982 published an admiring biography of Hawke. His popularity with the public was unaffected, and polling suggested that he was a far more popular politician than either Bill Hayden, the new Labor leader, or the incumbent Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser. Indeed Hawke had been the most popular man in Australia for nearly ten years by the time he entered Parliament.

Related Topics:
Alcoholism - John Curtin - Blanche d'Alpuget - 1982 - Bill Hayden - Liberal - Malcolm Fraser

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When in 1975, in one of the most controversial political actions since federation, the Whitlam government was dismissed by the Governor General, Hawke was influential in averting national strike action.

Related Topics:
1975 - Whitlam - Dismissed by the Governor General

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Hawke was elected to the House of Representatives for the Melbourne seat of Wills at the 1980 election, and was immediately elected to the Opposition front bench. Hayden's failure to defeat Fraser at that election gave Hawke his opportunity. He enlisted the support of the powerful New South Wales right-wing Labor "machine" to undermine Hayden, whom he famously described as "a lying cunt with a limited future." In July 1982 Hawke made his first challenge for the Labor leadership, losing by four votes.

Related Topics:
House of Representatives - Wills - 1980 - New South Wales - 1982

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By the end of 1982, however, it was obvious that Fraser was planning an early election, and Labor MPs began to fear that with Hayden as leader they would lose. In February 1983, on the same day that Fraser called an election for 5 March, Hayden was persuaded to resign and Hawke became Labor leader without opposition. He went on to win the election in a landslide, becoming Prime Minister less than three years after entering Parliament.

Related Topics:
1982 - 1983 - 5 March

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