Editing Bob Hawke (section)

==Prime Minister of Australia (1983–1991)==
{{Main|Hawke government}}

===Leadership style===
<!-- [[File:William Cheung and Bob Hawke.jpg|thumb|[[William Cheung]] and Bob Hawke in traditional Chinese attire in 1983]] -->
After Labor's landslide victory, Hawke was sworn in as the Prime Minister by the Governor-General [[Ninian Stephen]] on 11 March 1983. The style of the [[Hawke government]] was deliberately distinct from the [[Whitlam government]], the Labor government that preceded it. Rather than immediately initiating multiple extensive reform programs as Whitlam had, Hawke announced that [[Malcolm Fraser]]'s pre-election concealment of the budget deficit meant that many of Labor's election commitments would have to be deferred.<ref>Kelly, P., (1992), p.57</ref> As part of his internal reforms package, Hawke divided the government into two tiers, with only the most senior ministers sitting in the [[Cabinet of Australia]]. The Labor caucus was still given the authority to determine who would make up the Ministry, but this move gave Hawke unprecedented powers to empower individual ministers.<ref name="Kelly-1992a">Kelly, P., (1992), p. 30</ref>

After Australia won the [[1983 America's Cup|America's Cup]] in 1983 Hawke said "any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum", effectively declaring an impromptu national public holiday.<ref>{{cite magazine |issue=116 |publication-date=September 2013 |url=https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/history-culture/2013/09/looking-back-the-1983-americas-cup-win/ |archive-date=7 August 2024 |access-date=7 August 2024 |quote=“I’LL TELL YOU what: any boss who sacks a worker for not turning up today is a bum.” Australians tend to remember these words fondly coming from the mouth of then prime minister Bob Hawke after Australia II won the America’s Cup yacht race, breaking a 132-year winning streak for the USA. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807093257/https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/history-culture/2013/09/looking-back-the-1983-americas-cup-win/ |date=26 September 2013 |first=Natsumi |last=Penberthy|title=Looking back: The 1983 America's Cup win |magazine=[[Australian Geographic]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/sailing/flashback-1983-wild-celebrations-as-australia-ii-wins-america-s-cup-20180926-p50636.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807113952/https://www.smh.com.au/sport/sailing/flashback-1983-wild-celebrations-as-australia-ii-wins-america-s-cup-20180926-p50636.html |archive-date=7 August 2024 |access-date=7 August 2024 |url-status=live |work=[[The Age]] |quote=Many, including the Prime Minister, Mr Hawke, kept an all-night vigil. Mr Hawke, showered in champagne at the Royal Perth Yacht Club in the early hours, laughingly declared a national holiday. We’d be a nation of zombies anyway, he said.|date=26 September 2018 |orig-date=26 September 1983 |first=Bruce |last=Stannard |title=Flashback 1983: Wild celebrations as Australia II wins America's Cup |via=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/americas-cup-win |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807114324/https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/americas-cup-win |access-date=7 August 2024 |archive-date=7 August 2024 |url-status=live |title=America's Cup win |quote=Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum. |at=Prime Minister Bob Hawke, 27 September 1983 |work=[[National Museum of Australia]]}}</ref>

[[File:BannonHawke.jpg|thumb|left|Hawke presenting a relief cheque to [[John Bannon]], [[Premier of South Australia]] following the 1983 [[Ash Wednesday bushfires]]]]

In particular, the political partnership that developed between Hawke and his [[Treasurer of Australia|Treasurer]], [[Paul Keating]], proved to be essential to Labor's success in government, with multiple Labor figures in years since citing the partnership as the party's greatest ever.<ref>{{cite web |title=CONDOLENCES - Hawke, Hon. Robert James Lee (Bob), AC |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=chamber/hansards/79f1fe78-5449-42d1-be9b-3f40736f1a19/&sid=0004 |website=Hansard |publisher=Parliament of Australia |access-date=19 June 2021 |language=en-AU |date=3 July 2019 |archive-date=27 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027134521/https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard/Hansard_Display?bid=chamber/hansards/79f1fe78-5449-42d1-be9b-3f40736f1a19/&sid=0004 |url-status=live }}</ref> The two men proved a study in contrasts: Hawke was a [[Rhodes Scholarship|Rhodes Scholar]]; Keating left high school early.<ref>Edwards, J.,(1996), p.44</ref> Hawke's enthusiasms were cigars, betting and most forms of sport; Keating preferred [[classical architecture]], [[Gustav Mahler|Mahler]] symphonies and collecting [[British Regency]] and [[First French Empire|French Empire]] antiques.<ref>Edwards, J.,(1996), p.6, p.48</ref> Despite not knowing one another before Hawke assumed the leadership in 1983, the two formed a personal as well as political relationship which enabled the Government to pursue a significant number of reforms, although there were occasional points of tension between the two.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hawke memorial: Keating on a friendship that lasted to the end |url=https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/bob-hawke-memorial-paul-keating-leads-mourners-20190614-p51xpi |access-date=19 June 2021 |work=Australian Financial Review |date=15 June 2019 |language=en |url-access=subscription |archive-date=1 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201105902/https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/bob-hawke-memorial-paul-keating-leads-mourners-20190614-p51xpi |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Labor Caucus under Hawke also developed a more formalised system of parliamentary [[political faction|factions]], which significantly altered the dynamics of caucus operations.<ref name="Kelly-1992a"/> Unlike many of his predecessor leaders, Hawke's authority within the Labor Party was absolute. This enabled him to persuade MPs to support a substantial set of policy changes which had not been considered achievable by Labor governments in the past. Individual accounts from ministers indicate that while Hawke was not often the driving force behind individual reforms, outside of broader economic changes, he took on the role of providing political guidance on what was electorally feasible and how best to sell it to the public, tasks at which he proved highly successful. Hawke took on a very public role as Prime Minister, campaigning frequently even outside of election periods, and for much of his time in office proved to be incredibly popular with the Australian electorate; to this date he still holds the highest ever [[Nielsen Corporation|AC Nielsen]] approval rating of 75%.<ref name="Coorey-2008"/>

===Economic policy===

[[File:Hawke Reagan1985.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Hawke and US President [[Ronald Reagan]] at the [[White House]] in November 1984]]

The Hawke government oversaw significant economic reforms, and is often cited by economic historians as being a "turning point" from a protectionist, agricultural model to a more globalised and services-oriented economy. According to the journalist [[Paul Kelly (journalist)|Paul Kelly]], "the most influential economic decisions of the 1980s were the floating of the Australian dollar and the deregulation of the financial system".<ref name="Kelly-1992b">Kelly, P., (1992), p.76</ref> Although the [[Fraser government]] had played a part in the process of financial deregulation by commissioning the 1981 Campbell Report, opposition from Fraser himself had stalled this process.<ref>Kelly, P., (1992), p.78</ref> Shortly after its election in 1983, the Hawke government took the opportunity to implement a comprehensive program of economic reform, in the process "transform(ing) economics and politics in Australia".<ref name="Kelly-1992b"/>

Hawke and Keating together led the process for overseeing the economic changes by launching a "National Economic Summit" one month after their election in 1983, which brought together business and industrial leaders together with politicians and trade union leaders; the three-day summit led to a unanimous adoption of a national economic strategy, generating sufficient political capital for widespread reform to follow.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hawke: 1983 National Economic Summit established success |url=https://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3400566.htm |access-date=19 June 2021 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=2 January 2021 |language=en-AU |archive-date=29 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329090328/https://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3400566.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Among other reforms, the Hawke government [[History of Australian currency|floated the Australian dollar]], repealed rules that prohibited foreign-owned banks to operate in Australia, dismantled the protectionist tariff system, privatised several state sector industries, ended the subsidisation of loss-making industries, and sold off part of the state-owned [[Commonwealth Bank]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22library%2Fpartypol%2F1052410%22|title=ParlInfo – Australian Labor party: record of achievements 1983–1990|access-date=28 July 2015|archive-date=11 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111171445/http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22library%2Fpartypol%2F1052410%22|url-status=live}}</ref>

The taxation system was also significantly reformed, with income tax rates reduced and the introduction of a fringe benefits tax and a capital gains tax; the latter two reforms were strongly opposed by the Liberal Party at the time, but were never reversed by them when they eventually returned to office in 1996.<ref>Kelly, P., (1992), p. 175</ref> Partially offsetting these imposts upon the business community—the "main loser" from the 1985 Tax Summit according to Paul Kelly—was the introduction of full [[dividend imputation]], a reform insisted upon by Keating.<ref>Kelly, P., (1992), p. 174</ref> Funding for schools was also considerably increased as part of this package, while financial assistance was provided for students to enable them to stay at school longer; the number of Australian children completing school rose from 3 in 10 at the beginning of the Hawke government to 7 in 10 by its conclusion in 1991. Considerable progress was also made in directing assistance "to the most disadvantaged recipients over the whole range of welfare benefits."<ref>[[Ross McMullin]], The Light on the Hill: The Australian Labor Party 1891–1991</ref>

===Social and environmental policy===
Although criticisms were leveled against the Hawke government that it did not achieve all it said it would do on social policy, it nevertheless enacted a series of reforms which remain in place to the present day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alp.org.au/about/achievements/index.html|archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20010717140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/20943/20010718-0000/www.alp.org.au/about/achievements/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 July 2001|title=Achievements of the Federal Labor Government – 1983–1986|publisher=webarchive.nla.gov.au|date=23 August 2006|access-date=22 May 2011}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/bhpml/speeches/Prime/policy.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150312101646/http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/bhpml/speeches/Prime/policy.pdf|url-status=dead|title=|archivedate=12 March 2015|website=www.library.unisa.edu.au|accessdate=29 March 2025}}</ref> From 1983 to 1989, the Government oversaw the permanent establishment of [[universal health care]] in Australia with the creation of [[Medicare (Australia)|Medicare]], doubled the number of subsidised childcare places, began the [[Superannuation in Australia|introduction of occupational superannuation]], oversaw a significant increase in school retention rates, created subsidised homecare services, oversaw the elimination of poverty traps in the welfare system, increased the real value of the old-age pension, reintroduced the six-monthly indexation of single-person unemployment benefits, and established a wide-ranging programme for paid family support, known as the Family Income Supplement.<ref name="Whitlam">Whitlam, Wran and the Labor tradition: Labor history essays, volume two By Gough Whitlam, Australian Labor Party, New South Wales Branch</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://john.curtin.edu.au/jcmemlect/wran1986.html |title=Wran/1986 The Great Tradition-Labor Reform from Curtin to Hawke |publisher=John.curtin.edu.au |access-date=22 May 2011 |archive-date=5 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305223804/http://john.curtin.edu.au/jcmemlect/wran1986.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

A number of other new social security benefits were introduced under the Hawke-Keating Government. In 1984, for instance, a remote area allowance was introduced for pensioners and beneficiaries residing in special areas of Tax Zone A, and in 1985 a special addition to family allowances was made payable (as noted by one study) “to certain families with multiple births (three children or more) until the children reach six years of age.” The following year, rent assistance was extended to unemployment beneficiaries, together with a young homeless allowance for sickness and unemployment beneficiaries under the age of 18 who were homeless and didn't have parental or custodial support. However, the payment of family allowances for student children reaching the age of 18 was discontinued except in the case of certain families on low incomes.<ref>[https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Year_Book_Australia_1988_No_71/8eekbvpAU5EC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=remote+area+allowance+1984+Tax+Zone+A+Australia&pg=PA382&printsec=frontcover Year Book Australia, 1988, No. 71 By Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1988, P.382]</ref>

During the 1980s, the proportion of total government outlays allocated to families, the sick, single parents, widows, the handicapped, and veterans was significantly higher than under the previous Fraser and Whitlam governments.<ref name="Whitlam"/>

In 1984, the Hawke government enacted the landmark [[Sex Discrimination Act 1984]], which eliminated discrimination on the grounds of sex within the workplace.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sex Discrimination Act 1984 |url=http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/sda1984209/s3.html |website=Commonwealth Consolidated Acts |access-date=19 June 2021 |archive-date=2 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302130346/http://www6.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/sda1984209/s3.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1989, Hawke oversaw the gradual re-introduction of some tuition fees for university study, setting up the [[Higher Education Contributions Scheme]] (HECS).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/hefa1988221/ |title=Higher Education Funding Act 1988 |publisher=Austlii.edu.au |date=1 January 2005 |access-date=27 August 2010 |archive-date=24 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324005521/http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/hefa1988221/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Under the original HECS, a fee of {{AUD|1,800|link=yes}}, equivalent to {{AUD|{{Inflation|AU|1800|1989|r=0}}}} in {{Inflation/year|AU}}, was charged to all university students, and the Commonwealth paid the balance. A student could defer payment of this HECS amount and repay the debt through the tax system, when the student's income exceeds a threshold level. As part of the reforms, Colleges of Advanced Education entered the university sector by various means. By doing so, university places were able to be expanded. Further notable policy decisions taken during the Government's time in office included the [[HIV/AIDS in Australia|public health campaign]] regarding HIV/AIDS, and Indigenous land rights reform, with an investigation of the idea of a treaty between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the Government being launched, although the latter would be overtaken by events, notably the [[Mabo v Queensland (No 2)|Mabo court decision]].<ref>For discussion see William Bowtell, ''Australia's Response to HIV/AIDS 1982–2005'', Lowy Institute for International Policy, May 2005</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gardiner-Garden |first=John |title=From Dispossession to Reconciliation |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp9899/99Rp27 |website=Australian Parliamentary Library |access-date=16 May 2019 |archive-date=19 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519142013/https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp9899/99Rp27 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Hawke government also drew attention for a series of notable environmental decisions, particularly in its second and third terms. In 1983, Hawke personally vetoed the construction of the [[Franklin Dam]] in [[Tasmania]], responding to a groundswell of protest around the issue.<ref>Kelly, P., (1992), p. 528</ref> Hawke also secured the nomination of the [[Wet Tropics of Queensland]] as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] in 1987, preventing the forests there from being logged. Hawke would later appoint [[Graham Richardson]] as Environment Minister, tasking him with winning the second-preference support from environmental parties, something which Richardson later claimed was the major factor in the government's narrow re-election at the [[1990 Australian federal election|1990 election]].<ref>Richardson, G., (1994), pp. 276–77</ref> In the Government's fourth term, Hawke personally led the Australian delegation to secure changes to the [[Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty]], ultimately winning a guarantee that drilling for minerals within [[Antarctica]] would be totally prohibited until 2048 at the earliest.<ref>{{cite press release |title=20th Anniversary of the Hawke government's action to protect Antarctica |url=https://www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2009/20th-anniversary-of-the-hawke-governments-action-to-protect-antarctica/ |website=antarctica.gov.au |publisher=Australian Antarctic Program |access-date=19 June 2021 |language=en |archive-date=3 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803012550/https://www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2009/20th-anniversary-of-the-hawke-governments-action-to-protect-antarctica/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Hawke later claimed that the Antarctic drilling ban was his "proudest achievement".<ref>{{cite news |last=Walsh |first=Nonee |title=Hawke honoured for Antarctic mining fight |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-12-14/hawke-honoured-for-antarctic-mining-fight/1178172 |access-date=19 June 2021 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=14 December 2009 |language=en-AU |archive-date=17 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217210611/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-12-14/hawke-honoured-for-antarctic-mining-fight/1178172 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Industrial relations policy===
{{further|Prices and Incomes Accord}}
[[File:Bob Hawke in 1980.jpg|thumb|upright|Hawke addresses the Labour Day crowd, 1980]]

As a former ACTU President, Hawke was well-placed to engage in reform of the industrial relations system in Australia, taking a lead on this policy area as in few others. Working closely with ministerial colleagues and the ACTU Secretary, [[Bill Kelty]], Hawke negotiated with trade unions to establish the [[Prices and Incomes Accord]] in 1983, an agreement whereby unions agreed to restrict their demands for wage increases, and in turn the Government guaranteed to both minimise inflation and promote an increased social wage, including by establishing new social programmes such as Medicare.<ref>{{cite web |title=1984–85 – Hawke government – Industrial relations |url=http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/cabinet/by-year/1984-85/industrial-relations.aspx |website=National Archives of Australia |access-date=16 May 2019 |language=en |archive-date=17 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517023044/http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/explore/cabinet/by-year/1984-85/industrial-relations.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Inflation had been a significant issue for the previous decade prior to the election of the Hawke government, regularly running into double-digits. The process of the Accord, by which the Government and trade unions would arbitrate and agree upon wage increases in many sectors, led to a decrease in both inflation and unemployment through to 1990. Criticisms of the Accord would come from both the right and the left of politics. Left-wing critics claimed that it kept real wages stagnant, and that the Accord was a policy of [[class collaboration]] and [[corporatism]]. By contrast, right-wing critics claimed that the Accord reduced the flexibility of the wages system. Supporters of the Accord, however, pointed to the improvements in the social security system that occurred, including the introduction of rental assistance for social security recipients, the creation of labour market schemes such as NewStart, and the introduction of the Family Income Supplement.<ref>Australia's welfare wars: the players, the politics and the ideologies by Philip Mendes</ref> In 1986, the Hawke government passed a bill to de-register the [[Builders Labourers Federation]] federally due to the union not following the Accord agreements.<ref>{{cite news |title=Australian Council of Trade Unions boss Sally McManus admits she doesn't know about Bob Hawke's deregistration of the BLF |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/australian-council-of-trade-unions-boss-sally-mcmanus-admits-she-doesnt-know-about-bob-hawkes-deregistration-of-the-blf/news-story/e46a8779b1b38e6c615b686f231283bb |work=Herald Sun |year=2017 |url-access=subscription |access-date=9 December 2020 |archive-date=16 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416040626/https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/australian-council-of-trade-unions-boss-sally-mcmanus-admits-she-doesnt-know-about-bob-hawkes-deregistration-of-the-blf/news-story/e46a8779b1b38e6c615b686f231283bb |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Are we in Accord? {{!}} Frank Bongiorno |url=https://insidestory.org.au/are-we-in-accord/ |access-date=9 December 2020 |work=Inside Story |date=27 May 2020 |language=en |archive-date=28 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028092748/https://insidestory.org.au/are-we-in-accord/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Despite a percentage fall in real money wages from 1983 to 1991, the social wage of Australian workers was argued by the Government to have improved drastically as a result of these reforms, and the ensuing decline in inflation.<ref>Developments in Australian politics by Judith Brett, James A. Gillespie, and Murray Goot</ref> The Accord was revisited six further times during the Hawke government, each time in response to new economic developments. The seventh and final revisiting would ultimately lead to the establishment of the [[Enterprise bargaining agreement|enterprise bargaining]] system, although this would be finalised shortly after Hawke left office in 1991.

===Foreign policy===
[[File:Bob and Hazel Hawke 1987.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Hawke with wife [[Hazel Hawke|Hazel]] in Moscow, 1987]] 
Arguably the most significant foreign policy achievement of the Government took place in 1989, after Hawke proposed a south-east Asian region-wide forum for leaders and economic ministers to discuss issues of common concern. After winning the support of key countries in the region, this led to the creation of the [[Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation]] (APEC).<ref name="APEC-2019">{{cite web|title=History|url=https://www.apec.org/About-Us/About-APEC/History|website=apec.org|quote=The idea of APEC was firstly publicly broached by former Prime Minister of Australia Bob Hawke during a speech in Seoul, Korea, on 30 January 1969. Ten months later, 12 Asia-Pacific economies met in Canberra, Australia, to establish APEC.|access-date=23 September 2020|archive-date=4 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190304034820/http://apec.org/About-Us/About-APEC/History|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="PECC-2016">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pecc.org/resources/regional-cooperation/601-back-to-canberra-founding-apec/file|title=Back to Canberra: Founding APEC|access-date=23 September 2020|archive-date=29 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329012108/https://www.pecc.org/resources/regional-cooperation/601-back-to-canberra-founding-apec/file|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[APEC Australia 1989|first APEC meeting]] duly took place in [[Canberra]] in November 1989; the economic ministers of Australia, [[Brunei]], Canada, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and the United States all attended. APEC would subsequently grow to become one of the most pre-eminent high-level international forums in the world, particularly after the later inclusions of China and Russia, and the [[Keating government]]'s later establishment of the APEC Leaders' Forum.<ref name="APEC-2019"/><ref name="PECC-2016"/>

Elsewhere in Asia, the Hawke government played a significant role in the build-up to the [[United Nations]] [[United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia|peace process]] for [[Cambodia]], culminating in the Transitional Authority; Hawke's [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Australia)|Foreign Minister]] [[Gareth Evans (politician)|Gareth Evans]] was nominated for the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] for his role in negotiations.<ref>See Ken Berry,  ''Cambodia From Red to Blue: Australia's Initiative for Peace'' (Allen & Unwin, 1997)</ref> Hawke also took a major public stand after the [[1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre]]; despite having spent years trying to get closer relations with China, Hawke gave a tearful address on national television describing the massacre in graphic detail, and unilaterally offered [[Asylum in Australia|asylum]] to over 42,000 Chinese students who were living in Australia at the time, many of whom had publicly supported the Tiananmen protesters. Hawke did so without even consulting his Cabinet, stating later that he felt he simply had to act.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Jason |last1=Fang |first2=Alan |last2=Weedon |title=More than 40,000 Chinese were offered asylum in Australia exactly 31 years ago. Here are their stories |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-09/china-tiananmen-square-massacre-bob-hawke-australian-asylum/12332084 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=8 June 2020 |language=en-AU |access-date=22 September 2020 |archive-date=8 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008135713/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-09/china-tiananmen-square-massacre-bob-hawke-australian-asylum/12332084 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Hawke government pursued a close relationship with the United States, assisted by Hawke's close friendship with [[United States Secretary of State|US Secretary of State]] [[George Shultz]]; this led to a degree of controversy when the Government supported the US's plans to test ballistic missiles off the coast of Tasmania in 1985, as well as seeking to overturn Australia's long-standing ban on [[uranium]] exports. Although the US ultimately withdrew the plans to test the missiles, the furore led to a fall in Hawke's approval ratings.<ref>{{cite news |title=US rocket plan became Hawke's first setback |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/us-rocket-plan-became-hawkes-first-setback-20121231-2c2ia.html |access-date=19 June 2021 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=1 January 2013 |language=en |url-access=registration |archive-date=18 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618090342/https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/us-rocket-plan-became-hawkes-first-setback-20121231-2c2ia.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Shortly after the [[1990 Australian federal election|1990 election]], Hawke would lead Australia into its first overseas military campaign since the [[Vietnam War]], forming a close alliance with [[US President]] [[George H. W. Bush]] to join the [[Coalition of the Gulf War|coalition]] in the [[Gulf War]]. The [[Royal Australian Navy]] contributed several [[destroyer]]s and [[frigate]]s to the war effort, which successfully concluded in February 1991, with the expulsion of [[Iraq]]i forces from [[Kuwait]]. The success of the campaign, and the lack of any Australian casualties, led to a brief increase in the popularity of the Government.

Through his role on the [[Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting]], Hawke played a leading role in ensuring the Commonwealth initiated an international boycott on foreign investment into [[South Africa]], building on work undertaken by his predecessor Malcolm Fraser, and in the process clashing publicly with [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] [[Margaret Thatcher]], who initially favoured a more cautious approach. The resulting boycott, led by the Commonwealth, was widely credited with helping bring about the collapse of [[apartheid]], and resulted in a high-profile visit by [[Nelson Mandela]] in October 1990, months after the latter's release from a 27-year stint in prison. During the visit, Mandela publicly thanked the Hawke government for the role it played in the boycott.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lennon |first=Troy |title=Australia campaigned for Mandela's freedom |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/today-in-history/australia-campaigned-for-nelson-mandelas-freedom-but-disappointed-indigenous-australians-by-not-wanting-to-interfere/news-story/8d68228e616b4c7c40806af20dc405b7 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=18 July 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

===Election wins and leadership challenges===
[[File:PMs office at Old Parliament House December 2012.jpg|thumb|Prime Minister's Office preserved from Hawke's time in office in 1988, [[Old Parliament House, Canberra|Old Parliament House]]]]

Hawke benefited greatly from the disarray into which the Liberal Party fell after the resignation of Fraser following the 1983 election. The Liberals were torn between supporters of the more conservative [[John Howard]] and the more liberal [[Andrew Peacock]], with the pair frequently contesting the leadership.<ref>{{cite news|title=Peacock's future directions|work=[[The Canberra Times]]|first=Andrew|last=Fraser|date=13 May 1989|page=9}}</ref> Hawke and Keating were also able to use the concealment of the size of the budget deficit by Fraser before the 1983 election to great effect, damaging the Liberal Party's economic credibility as a result.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fraser on the skids?|work=[[Tribune (Australian newspaper)|The Express Tribune]]|date=10 March 1982|page=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Fraser's parting blow: the budget deficit - requiem for reform?|work=[[Tribune (Australian newspaper)|The Express Tribune]]|first=Peter|last=Ormonde|date=23 March 1983|page=3}}</ref>

However, Hawke's time as Prime Minister also saw friction develop between himself and the grassroots of the Labor Party, many of whom were unhappy at what they viewed as Hawke's iconoclasm and willingness to cooperate with business interests. Hawke regularly and publicly expressed his willingness to cull Labor's "sacred cows". The [[Labor Left]] faction, as well as prominent Labor backbencher [[Barry Jones (Australian politician)|Barry Jones]], offered repeated criticisms of a number of government decisions. Hawke was also subject to challenges from some former colleagues in the trade union movement over his "confrontationalist style" in siding with the airline companies in the [[1989 Australian pilots' strike]].{{sfn|Kelly|1992|p=544}}

Nevertheless, Hawke was able to comfortably maintain a lead as preferred prime minister in the vast majority of opinion polls carried out throughout his time in office. He recorded the highest popularity rating ever measured by an Australian opinion poll, reaching 75% approval in 1984.<ref>{{cite news |last=Coorey |first=Phillip |title=The biggest hammering in history |url=https://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/05/19/1211182705614.html |access-date=19 June 2021 |url-access=registration |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=20 May 2008 |language=en |archive-date=16 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816031241/https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-biggest-hammering-in-history-20080520-gdsedo.html |url-status=live }}</ref> After leading Labor to a comfortable victory in the snap [[1984 Australian federal election|1984 election]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://australianpolitics.com/elections/1984/ |title=1984 Federal Election |publisher=AustralianPolitics.com |access-date=2016-07-30 |archive-date=1 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501203340/http://australianpolitics.com/elections/1984 |url-status=live }}</ref> called to bring the mandate of the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] back in line with the [[Australian Senate|Senate]], Hawke was able to secure an unprecedented third consecutive term for Labor with a comfortable victory in the [[double dissolution]] election of [[1987 Australian federal election|1987]]. Hawke was subsequently able to lead the nation in the [[Australian Bicentenary|bicentennial]] celebrations of 1988, culminating with him welcoming [[Queen Elizabeth II]] to open the newly constructed [[Parliament House, Canberra|Parliament House]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/from-the-archives-1988-bob-hawke-and-the-queen-a-day-at-the-races-20190517-p51ofs.html|title=From the Archives, 1988: Bob Hawke and the Queen, a day at the races|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|first1=Les|last1=Carlyon|authorlink1=Les Carlyon|first2=Hugo|last2=Kelly|date=17 May 2019|access-date=19 May 2019|url-access=registration|archive-date=19 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519185101/https://www.smh.com.au/national/from-the-archives-1988-bob-hawke-and-the-queen-a-day-at-the-races-20190517-p51ofs.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Early 1990s recession|late-1980s recession]], and the accompanying high interest rates, saw the Government fall in opinion polls, with many doubting that Hawke could win a fourth election.<ref>{{cite news|title=When historians reflect on 1990|work=[[The Canberra Times]]|date=31 December 1990|page=8}}</ref> Keating, who had long understood that he would eventually succeed Hawke as prime minister,<ref>{{cite news|title=Hawke gives Keating his blessing as likely PM|work=[[The Canberra Times]]|first=Keith|last=Scott|date=30 June 1987|page=1}}</ref> began to plan a leadership change; at the end of 1988, Keating put pressure on Hawke to retire in the new year. Hawke rejected this suggestion but reached a secret agreement with Keating, the so-called "[[Kirribilli Agreement of 1988|Kirribilli Agreement]]", stating that he would step down in Keating's favour at some point after the [[1990 Australian federal election|1990 election]].{{sfn|Kelly|1992|p=454}} Hawke subsequently won that election, in the process leading Labor to a record fourth consecutive electoral victory, albeit by a slim margin.<ref>{{cite news|title=Election proves value of Labor machine|work=[[The Canberra Times]]|first=Derek|last=Parker|date=10 May 1990|page=8}}</ref> Hawke appointed Keating as [[Deputy Prime Minister of Australia|deputy prime minister]] to replace the retiring [[Lionel Bowen]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_MRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fnation%2Finquirer%2F199091-cabinet-papers-keating-and-hawkes-ambitions-collide%2Fnews-story%2F57494be488b4f7edf128108f8acc21f4&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=dynamic-cold-control-noscore&V21spcbehaviour=append|title=When ambitions collided|work=[[The Australian]]|date=31 December 2015|accessdate=8 January 2016|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

By the end of 1990, frustrated by the lack of any indication from Hawke as to when he might retire, Keating made a provocative speech to the [[Canberra Press Gallery|Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery]]. Hawke considered the speech disloyal, and told Keating he would renege on the Kirribilli Agreement as a result.{{sfn|Hawke|1994|p=501}} After attempting to force a resolution privately, Keating finally resigned from the Government in June 1991 to [[June 1991 Australian Labor Party leadership spill|challenge Hawke for the leadership]].<ref>{{cite news |title=True rivals |author=Gordon, Michael |date=16 July 2010 |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/true-rivals-20100715-10cpx.html |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |access-date=11 March 2018 |url-access=registration |archive-date=12 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312022354/https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/true-rivals-20100715-10cpx.html |url-status=live }}</ref> His resignation came  soon after Hawke vetoed in Cabinet a proposal backed by Keating and other ministers for mining to take place at [[Coronation Hill]] in [[Kakadu National Park]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chan |first1=Gabrielle |title=Cabinet papers 1990-91: Hawke's fight to keep mining out of Kakadu helped unseat him |newspaper=The Guardian |date=31 December 2015 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jan/01/cabinet-papers-1990-91-hawkes-fight-to-keep-mining-out-of-kakadu-helped-unseat-him |publisher=Guardian News & Media Limited |access-date=4 Nov 2023 |archive-date=4 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104065021/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jan/01/cabinet-papers-1990-91-hawkes-fight-to-keep-mining-out-of-kakadu-helped-unseat-him |url-status=live }}</ref>  Hawke won the leadership spill, and in a press conference after the result, Keating declared that he had fired his "one shot" on the leadership. Hawke appointed [[John Kerin]] to replace Keating as Treasurer.{{sfn|Kelly|1992|p=649–651}}

Despite his victory in the June spill, Hawke quickly began to be regarded by many of his colleagues as a "wounded" leader; he had now lost his long-term political partner, his ratings in opinion polls were beginning to fall significantly, and after nearly nine years as Prime Minister, there was speculation that it would soon be time for a new leader.{{sfn|Edwards|1996|p=435}} Hawke's leadership was ultimately irrevocably damaged at the end of 1991; after [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal Leader]] [[John Hewson]] released '[[Fightback! (policy)|Fightback!]]', a detailed proposal for sweeping economic change, including the introduction of a [[Goods and Services Tax (Australia)|goods and services tax]], Hawke was forced to sack Kerin as Treasurer after the latter made a public gaffe attempting to attack the policy.{{sfn|Kelly|1992|p=649–651}}{{sfn|Kelly|1992|p=609–14}} Keating duly [[December 1991 Australian Labor Party leadership spill|challenged for the leadership]] a second time on 19 December, arguing that he would be better placed to defeat Hewson; this time, Keating succeeded, narrowly defeating Hawke by 56 votes to 51.{{sfn|Edwards|1996|p=441}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Keating scrapes in|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|first=Peter|last=Hartcher|date=20 December 1991|page=1}}</ref>

In a speech to the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] following the vote, Hawke declared that his nine years as prime minister had left Australia a better and wealthier country, and he was given a standing ovation by those present. He subsequently tendered his resignation to the Governor-General and pledged support to his successor. Hawke briefly returned to the backbench, before resigning from Parliament on 20 February 1992, sparking a [[1992 Wills by-election|by-election]] which was won by the independent candidate [[Phil Cleary]] from among a record field of 22 candidates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/hawke/after-office.aspx|title=Hawke: After office|work=Prime Ministers of Australia: [[National Archives of Australia]]|publisher=[[Government of Australia]]|date=20 February 1992|access-date=22 May 2011|archive-date=26 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626015539/http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/hawke/after-office.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Keating would go on to lead Labor to a fifth victory at the [[1993 Australian federal election|1993 election]], although he was defeated by the Liberal Party at the [[1996 Australian federal election|1996 election]].

Hawke wrote that he had very few regrets over his time in office, although stated he wished he had been able to advance the cause of [[Indigenous land rights in Australia|Indigenous land rights]] further. His bitterness towards Keating over the leadership challenges surfaced in his earlier memoirs, although by the 2000s Hawke stated he and Keating had buried their differences, and that they regularly dined together and considered each other friends.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/13/2302268.htm |title=Hawke and Keating bury the hatchet |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |location=Australia |date=13 July 2008 |access-date=25 April 2010 |archive-date=10 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110180307/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-07-13/hawke-and-keating-bury-the-hatchet/2586080 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The publication of the book ''Hawke: The Prime Minister'', by Hawke's second wife, [[Blanche d'Alpuget]], in 2010, reignited conflict between the two, with Keating accusing Hawke and d'Alpuget of spreading falsehoods about his role in the Hawke government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/politics/keating-hits-back-hawke-only-survived-as-pm-with-my-help/story-e6frgczf-1225891811095/story-e6frgczf-1225891811095|title=Paul Keating hits back: 'Hawke only survived as PM with my help'|work=[[The Australian]] |date=15 July 2010 |access-date=9 August 2016}}</ref> Despite this, the two campaigned together for Labor several times, including at the [[2019 Australian federal election|2019 election]], where they released their first joint article for nearly three decades; [[Craig Emerson]], who worked for both men, said they had reconciled in later years after Hawke grew ill.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.smh.com.au/federal-election-2019/bob-hawke-and-paul-keating-reunite-for-the-first-time-in-28-years-to-endorse-labor-s-economic-plan-20190507-p51kv2.html | title=Bob Hawke and Paul Keating reunite for the first time in 28 years to endorse Labor's economic plan | newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald | date=7 May 2019 | access-date=16 May 2019 | archive-date=6 July 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230706204823/https://www.smh.com.au/federal-election-2019/bob-hawke-and-paul-keating-reunite-for-the-first-time-in-28-years-to-endorse-labor-s-economic-plan-20190507-p51kv2.html | url-status=live }}</ref>