The Hawke Centre honours Bob Hawke
2008: 25th Anniversary year of his Prime Ministership
Years as Prime Minister 1983 - 1991
‘If I went to the parliamentary sphere, I would want to go to the highest possible post’
Bob Hawke, 1972
The Hawke Government 25th Anniversary 1983 -2008
‘A nation sweeps Hawke into power’ said the headlines on the morning of March 6 1983. Labor swept to a landslide victory in the Federal election on March 5 1983 with a swing of at least 6 per cent guaranteeing a comfortable majority for Labor leader and Prime Minister, Bob Hawke.
From an election campaign built around income tax cuts, increased unemployment benefits, increased pensions, a lift to the tax threshold and a revamp of Medibank to Medicare the new path for Australia was all about reconciliation, national recovery and national reconstruction. Mr Hawke said that Labor in office ‘will be committed to restoring probity in Government, cutting away extravagance and self indulgence in public offices, and establishing clear cut decision making procedures.’. The Sunday Times, Perth March 6 1983
Hawke’s April summit of 1983 was called to work on 'the challenge of Australia's gravest economic and social crisis in 50 years', emphasising the importance of equitable growth, a priority to employment and a broad agreement on the importance of an incomes and prices policy. Grattan, M The Age, March 5 1983
Australia's challenges in 2008 are substantially different with opinion polls showing Australians wanting improvements in health and education services, effective action on climate change, and fairness in the workplace, rather than continued emphasis on economic growth. The Federal Labor government of 2008 plans a summit to help prepare a long-term strategy for Australia rather than dealing with an immediate crisis – and so we move on. Langmore, J 2008 http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/05/2154478.htm.
Welcome to the celebration in 2008 of the 25th Anniversary of Bob Hawke's Prime Ministership (1983-1991).
The Anniversary pages relate to each year of the Hawke government commencing with acknowledgement of the Anniversary on 5 March 1983 and the landslide victory of the Hawke Government with Bob Hawke becoming the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia.
Successive years are highlighted during his years in office, 1983 -1991
giving a detailed list of newspaper articles, photographs and digital
collection links and other related items of interest.
Years in review: 1983 / 1984 / 1985 / 1986 / 1987 / 1988 / 1989 / 1990 / 1991
Nelson Mandela letter of commendation
The road to Prime Minister
Bob Hawke was elected as the Australian Labor Party candidate for the
Federal electorate of Wills, in Victoria at the general election on 18
October 1980.
In November of 1980 at a meeting of the Labor Caucus, he was elected to the
Australian Labor Parliamentary Executive and was subsequently appointed by
the then Opposition Leader Mr Bill Hayden, to be the party’s spokesman for
Industrial Relations, Employment and Youth Affairs.
On 16 July 1982 Hawke challenged Hayden for leadership of the parliamentary
Australian Labor Party. Hayden resigned the leadership, contested the
position against Hawke at a caucus ballot and retained the position in a
close vote 42:37.
Hawke's supporters continued lobbying for him to replace Hayden. Hayden was
persuaded to resign the leadership and did so on 3 February 1983 with Hawke
being elected unopposed as Leader of the Opposition. On the morning of the
same day Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser requested a double dissolution from
the Governor-General and a general election was called
On the night of Election Day, March 5 1983, a confident – Robert James Lee
Hawke having campaigned on the slogan, ‘Bob Hawke, Bringing Australia
Together’ became the 28th Prime Minister of Australia’. With one of the best
majorities a Labor leader had enjoyed. Hawke gained a 15-seat majority over
the Liberal-National coalition in the House of Representatives. He also held
30 Senate seats, compared to the 28 of the coalition, 5 of the Democrats and
1 Independent.
His electoral promises included an end to Fraser’s almost ‘perpetual
recession’ a centralised wage fixing system and national reconciliation
between employers and unions. He believed in government by consensus and
established agreement between business and the unions in the pursuit of
economic growth.
During his first term in office, Hawke gained the highest popularity ratings
of any Prime Minister since the introduction of public opinion polls. Bob
Hawke is Australia’s longest serving Labor Prime Minister leading his
government to victory in four consecutive general elections: 1983, 1984,
1987 and 1990.
The Parliamentary Caucus of the Australian Labor Party appointed a 13 member cabinet with a 14 member outer ministry. The 1983 ministry under Prime Minister Bob Hawke, was sworn into office by the Governor General, Sir Ninian Stephen, on March 11, 1983 and consisted of the following members:
| Robert James Lee Hawke, AC, MP Honourable Lionel Frost Bowen, MP Senator John Norman Button Senator Donald James Grimes Ralph Willis, MP Honourable Paul John Keating, MP Michael Jerome Young, MP Stewart John West, MP Senator Peter Alexander Walsh Honourable William George Hayden, MP Senator Susan Maree Ryan Senator Gareth John Evans Gordon Glen Denton Scholes, MP Peter Frederick Morris, MP John Charles Kerin, MP Kim Christian Beazley, MP Christopher John Hurford, MP John Joseph Brown, MP John Sydney Dawkins, MP Neal Blewett, MP Barry Owen Jones, MP Michael John Duffy, MP Barry Cohen, MP Allan Clyde Holding, MP Senator Arthur Thomas Gietzelt Honourable Thomas Uren, MP Brian Leslie Howe, MP |
Prime Minister* Minister for Trade* Minister for Industry and Commerce* Minister for Social Security* Minister for Employment & Industrial Relations* Treasurer* Special Minister of State* Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs* Minister for Resources and Energy* Minister for Foreign Affairs* Minister for Education and Youth Affairs* Attorney-General* Minister of Defence* Minister for Transport Minister for Primary Industry Minister for Aviation Minister for Housing and Construction Minister for Sport, Recreation and Tourism and Minister for Administrative Services Minister for Finance Minister for Health Minister for Science and Technology Minister for Communications Minister for Home Affairs and Environment Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Minister for Territories and Local Government Minister for Defence Support |
| *Ministers in the Cabinet | |
 |
|