Blanche d'Alpuget had a long and successful career as a writer, but it was her stunning biography of Bob Hawke that brought her fame – and influence.
Articles on Bob Hawke
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How did our politics become so personal? Performance Politics considers 70 years of books and documentaries, from the Whitlam era to now.
Speechwriter Don Watson’s insider account of the prime minister he worked for, written ‘in tragic mode’, was an instant bestseller – but Keating famously hated it.
John Howard was fond of saying good policy is good politics. Medicare’s survival through his government and others, seems to prove that point.
Bob Hawke ably managed his government, but he was also luckier than previous Labor prime ministers.
Labor’s big 2025 victory sparked high hopes for significant reform. But real change is not so easy – especially in our time of high grievance and permanent campaigning.
The former senator rose to great influence during the Hawke and Keating Labor governments, but his career was also marked by controversy.
There’s a popular belief that a good leader will win an election for their party, while a bad one will lose it. The numbers show this isn’t necessarily true.
Many believe Australia became it’s own country at federation in 1901, but that’s not strictly true. Instead, it happened more than 80 years later. Why don’t we celebrate it?
Up until December 9 1983, officials used to announce each morning how much the dollar was worth. Even bankers were shocked about letting the market set the price – but it’s served Australia well.
Looking a year ahead, Labor will be struggling against the electoral tide in Queensland, where (on present polling) the Palaszczuk government could lose office
The Prime Minister’s message to delegates at the Labor national conference was, in essence: be patient, don’t rock the boat, you shouldn’t expect the government to do all you want all at once.
Crean was the first federal Labor leader not allowed to contest an election at all. Yet, he never carried the scars of his removal.
NT Land Councils have presented the Barunga declaration to Prime Minister Albanese, expressing support for the Voice to Parliament. The Barunga Statement in 1988 was an important part of this journey.
Media Monsters deserves to stand among the giants of academic research and authorship on Australian media and political history.
The government also promises that beyond the four years, the institutions will get indexed funding
Bob Hawke spent 24 years married to his second wife, Blanche d'Alpuget, whose canny 1981 biography helped make him ALP leader – and one of our most beloved PMs. Chris Wallace tells their story.
Australia’s economic state in 1983 was very different from today: Bob Hawke wanted to lower expectations of government; Anthony Albanese is trying to raise them, even just a little.
The new prime minister has fewer economic levers to pull than previous Labor governments. That makes taking Australians into his confidence about the need for bolder change all the more important.
Unlike many politicians, Albanese does not appear to harbour a sense of entitlement to the top job - and his journey there has been a long one.
Top contributors
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Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
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Director, Vice-Chancellor's Centre of Public Ideas (CoPI) and Donald Horne Professor of History and Public Ideas, University of Canberra
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Former Visiting Fellow, SPRU, University of Sussex Business School, University of Sussex
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Emeritus Professor of Politics, Monash University
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Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University
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Professor, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra
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Professor, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University
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Professor in History, Australian National University
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Senior Lecturer, School of Political and Social Inquiry, Monash University
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Scientia Professor of Economics, UNSW
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Emerita Professor of Politics, Adelaide University
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Senior lecturer, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra
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cultural policy consultant
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Senior Lecturer in Law, Charles Sturt University
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Jim Gillespie is a Friend of The Conversation.
Associate Professor in Health Policy, Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data & Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney