Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre
Was the Hawke Government truly the ‘gold standard’ of Australia’s federal leadership?
A panel of historians and public policy experts unpack Gold Standard? Remembering the Hawke Government. Their perspectives explore the policies, politics and personalities that defined the Hawke era, and consider what lessons it may still hold for reformist government today.
Panellists include book Editors:
• Professor Frank Bongiorno AM: Historian, University of Canberra.
• Associate Professor Carolyn Holbrook: Historian, Deakin University.
• Dr Joshua Black: Political Historian, Australian National University.
Facilitated by Misha Ketchell, Editor of The Conversation.
Together, they will reflect on how its legacy continues to influence Australian society - from economic reform and media strategy to social justice and gender policy. They will also examine the era’s limitations, particularly in relation to First Nations outcomes and the less-celebrated experiences that followed.
With first-hand insights and critical perspectives, this event revisits a defining chapter in Australian political history - and asks: how golden was it, really?
hawkecentre.adelaide.edu.au
Presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre
Was the Hawke Government truly the ‘gold standard’ of Australia’s federal leadership?
A panel of historians and public policy experts unpack Gold Standard? Remembering the Hawke Government. Their perspectives explore the policies, politics and personalities that defined the Hawke era, and consider what lessons it may still hold for reformist government today.
Panellists include book Editors:
• Professor Frank Bongiorno AM: Historian, University of Canberra.
• Associate Professor Carolyn Holbrook: Historian, Deakin University.
• Dr Joshua Black: Political Historian, Australian National University.
Facilitated by Misha Ketchell, Editor of The Conversation.
Together, they will reflect on how its legacy continues to influence Australian society - from economic reform and media strategy to social justice and gender policy. They will also examine the era’s limitations, particularly in relation to First Nations outcomes and the less-celebrated experiences that followed.
With first-hand insights and critical perspectives, this event revisits a defining chapter in Australian political history - and asks: how golden was it, really?
hawkecentre.adelaide.edu.au
