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119-678: A number of bodies have been called a Constitutional Commission . In 1985 a Constitutional Commission was established (by the Hawke Labor government) to review the Australian Constitution and reported in 1988. It was seen as too partisan by many Liberals and the eventual referendum questions were not supported; leading to the lowest 'yes' vote count for any referendum in Australia (in 1988 ). The federally initiated Rowell–Sirois Commission of 1937 to 1940 recommended (successfully) that

238-603: A "constitutional commission", which is a commission created by the 1987 Constitution. These are governmental bodies that are independent of the three main branches of government. These constitutional commissions are the: The 1987 Constitution does not place upon a constitutional commission the task of amending the Constitution—that task falls to the Constitutional Convention , the Constituent Assembly , or

357-500: A 3.1% swing against the national trend, although he fell short of ousting longtime Liberal incumbent Hubert Opperman . Hawke rejected several opportunities to enter Parliament throughout the 1970s, something he later wrote that he "regretted". He eventually stood for election to the House of Representatives at the 1980 election for the safe Melbourne seat of Wills , winning it comfortably. Immediately upon his election to Parliament, Hawke

476-523: A Day . In retaliation, unions grounded Sinatra's private jet in Melbourne, demanding he apologise. The popular view was that Mr Hawke engaged in protracted, boozy negotiations with Ol' Blue Eyes to reach a settlement. The [diplomatic] cables say the US embassy reached a deal with Mr Hawke to end the standoff, no apology was sought from Sinatra and that most of Mr Hawke's time was spent with the singer's lawyer. Hawke

595-479: A biography of Hawke. His popularity with the public was, if anything, enhanced by this period of rehabilitation, and opinion polling suggested that he was a more popular public figure than either Labor Leader Bill Hayden or Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser . During the period of 1973 to 1979, Hawke acted as an informant for the United States government. According to Coventry, Hawke as concurrent leader of

714-460: A close relationship with the United States, assisted by Hawke's close friendship with 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

833-534: A critical condition for several days. This near-death experience acted as his catalyst, driving him to make the most of his talents and not let his abilities go to waste. He joined the Labor Party in 1947 at the age of eighteen. Hawke was educated at West Leederville State School, Perth Modern School and the University of Western Australia , graduating in 1952 with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees. He

952-714: A decision he soon regretted. After Labor was defeated at the election, Whitlam initially offered the leadership to Hawke, although it was not within Whitlam's power to decide who would succeed him. Despite not taking on the offer, Hawke remained influential, playing a key role in averting national strike action. During the 1977 federal election , he emerged as a strident opponent of accepting Vietnamese boat people as refugees into Australia, stating that they should be subject to normal immigration requirements and should otherwise be deported. He further stated only refugees selected off-shore should be accepted. Hawke resigned as President of

1071-477: 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

1190-694: A document, or later being found to have lied to or misled a committee. Anyone who attempts to influence a witness may also be found in contempt. Other powers include, the ability to meet throughout Australia, to establish subcommittees and to take evidence in both public and private hearings. Proceedings of committees are considered to have the same legal standing as proceedings of Parliament, they are recorded by Hansard , except for private hearings, and also operate under parliamentary privilege . Every participant, including committee members and witnesses giving evidence, are protected from being prosecuted under any civil or criminal action for anything they may say during

1309-404: A five-shilling increase. The 1959 case found for a fifteen-shilling increase, and was regarded as a personal triumph for Hawke. He went on to attain such success and prominence in his role as an ACTU advocate that, in 1969, he was encouraged to run for the position of ACTU President, despite the fact that he had never held elected office in a trade union. He was elected ACTU President in 1969 on

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1428-554: A further three times, with successful outcomes in 1984 , 1987 and 1990 elections , making him the most electorally successful prime minister in the history of the Labor Party. The Hawke government implemented a significant number of reforms, including major economic reforms, the establishment of Landcare , the introduction of the universal healthcare scheme Medicare , brokering the Prices and Incomes Accord , creating APEC , floating

1547-569: A hearing. Written evidence and documents received by a committee are also protected. Types of committees include: Standing committees , which are established on a permanent basis and are responsible for scrutinising bills and topics referred to them by the chamber; examining the government's budget and activities and for examining departmental annual reports and activities. Select committees , which are temporary committees, established in order to deal with particular issues. Domestic committees , which are responsible for administering aspects of

1666-647: 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 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. The Hawke government pursued

1785-553: A maximum 10% variation. However, the baseline quota for the number of voters in an electorate is determined by the number of voters in the state in which that electorate is found. Consequently, the electorates of the smallest states and territories have more variation in the number of voters in their electorates. Meanwhile, all the states except Tasmania have electorates approximately within the same 10% tolerance, with most electorates holding 85,000 to 105,000 voters. Federal electorates have their boundaries redrawn or redistributed whenever

1904-514: A modernising platform by the narrow margin of 399 to 350, with the support of the left of the union movement, including some associated with the Communist Party of Australia . He later credited Ray Gietzelt , General Secretary of the FMWU , as the single most significant union figure in helping him achieve this outcome. Questioned after his election on his political stance, Hawke stated that "socialist

2023-869: A non-racially biased team for the rugby union tour , with the intention of unions agreeing not to serve the team in Australia. Prior to arrival, the Western Australian branch of the Transport Workers' Union , and the Barmaids' and Barmens' Union, announced that they would serve the team, which allowed the Springboks to land in Perth. The tour commenced on 26 June and riots occurred as anti-apartheid protesters disrupted games. Hawke and his family started to receive malicious mail and phone calls from people who thought that sport and politics should not mix. Hawke remained committed to

2142-431: 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 . Australian House of Representatives Opposition (55) Coalition Crossbench (18) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The House of Representatives

2261-523: A particular inquiry is completed the members of the committee can then produce a report, to be tabled in Parliament, outlining what they have discovered as well as any recommendations that they have produced for the government to consider. The ability of the chambers of Parliament to establish committees is given in section 49 of the Constitution, which states that, "The powers, privileges, and immunities of

2380-451: 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. 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

2499-639: A regular basis. The most recent overall increase in the size of the House, which came into effect at the 1984 election , increased the number of members from 125 to 148. It reduced to 147 at the 1993 election , returned to 148 at the 1996 election , increased to 150 at the 2001 election , and stands at 151 as of the 2022 Australian federal election . The House of Representatives chamber is designed to seat up to 172 members, with provision for an ultimate total of 240 to be accommodated. Each division elects one member using full-preferential instant-runoff voting . This

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2618-403: A result, the speaker often has to use the disciplinary powers granted to him or her under standing orders. Since 2015, Australian Federal Police officers armed with assault rifles have been present in both chambers of the federal Parliament. From the beginning of Federation until 1918, first-past-the-post voting was used in order to elect members of the House of Representatives but since

2737-700: A scholarship to undertake doctoral studies in the area of arbitration law in the law department at the Australian National University in Canberra . Soon after his arrival at ANU, he became the students' representative on the University Council. A year later, he was recommended to the President of the ACTU to become a research officer, replacing Harold Souter who had become ACTU Secretary. The recommendation

2856-433: A state or territory has its number of seats adjusted, if electorates are not generally matched by population size or if seven years have passed since the most recent redistribution. Full preferential voting is used in elections, a type of instant-runoff voting . A full allocation of preferences is required for a vote to be considered formal. This allows for a calculation of the two-party-preferred vote . Under section 24 of

2975-453: Is almost always dissolved earlier, usually alone but sometimes in a double dissolution alongside the Senate. Elections for members of the House of Representatives are often held in conjunction with those for the Senate. A member of the House may be referred to as a "member of parliament" ("MP" or "member"), while a member of the Senate is usually referred to as a "senator". Under the conventions of

3094-582: Is also the only prime minister to be born in South Australia and the only one raised and educated in Western Australia. Hawke holds the highest-ever approval rating for an Australian prime minister, reaching 75% approval in 1984. Hawke is frequently ranked within the upper tier of Australian prime ministers by historians. Bob Hawke was born on 9 December 1929 in Border Town , South Australia ,

3213-571: Is not a word I would use to describe myself", saying instead his approach to politics was pragmatic . His commitment to the cause of Jewish Refuseniks purportedly led to a planned assassination attempt on Hawke by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine , and its Australian operative Munif Mohammed Abou Rish . In 1971, Hawke along with other members of the ACTU requested that South Africa send

3332-554: 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 , "the most influential economic decisions of the 1980s were the floating of the Australian dollar and the deregulation of the financial system". Although the Fraser government had played a part in the process of financial deregulation by commissioning

3451-565: Is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia , the upper house being the Senate . Its composition and powers are set down in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia . The term of members of the House of Representatives is a maximum of three years from the date of the first sitting of the House, but on only one occasion since Federation has the maximum term been reached. The House

3570-410: Is the ability to summon people to attend hearings in order to give evidence and submit documents. Anyone who attempts to hinder the work of a Parliamentary committee may be found to be in contempt of parliament . There are a number of ways that witnesses can be found in contempt. These include refusing to appear before a committee when summoned, refusing to answer a question during a hearing or to produce

3689-518: The 1918 Swan by-election which Labor unexpectedly won with the largest primary vote due to vote splitting amongst the conservative parties, the Nationalist Party government, a predecessor of the modern-day Liberal Party of Australia , changed the lower house voting system to instant-runoff voting , which in Australia is known as full preferential voting, as of the subsequent 1919 election . This system has remained in place ever since, allowing

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3808-695: The 1949 election , Bill Spooner was appointed a minister in the Fourth Menzies ministry on 19 December, however his term as a Senator did not begin until 22 February 1950. The provision was also used after the disappearance and presumed death of the Liberal prime minister Harold Holt in December 1967. The Liberal Party elected John Gorton , then a senator, as its new leader, and he was sworn in as prime minister on 10 January 1968 (following an interim ministry led by John McEwen ). On 1 February, Gorton resigned from

3927-490: The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) as a research officer. Having risen to become responsible for national wage case arbitration, he was elected as president of the ACTU in 1969, where he achieved a high public profile. In 1973, he was appointed as president of the Labor Party. In 1980, Hawke stood down from his roles as ACTU and Labor Party president to announce his intention to enter parliamentary politics, and

4046-740: The Australian dollar , deregulating the financial sector, introducing the Family Assistance Scheme , enacting the Sex Discrimination Act to prevent discrimination in the workplace, declaring " Advance Australia Fair " as the country's national anthem, initiating superannuation pension schemes for all workers, negotiating a ban on mining in Antarctica and overseeing passage of the Australia Act that removed all remaining jurisdiction by

4165-552: The Centre Alliance and Katter's Australian Party held their current standing of one seat each, and independents gained seven seats to bring their total to ten, six of these being teal independents . On 23 December 2022, Andrew Gee MP quit the National Party to become an independent, citing his disappointment over the party's opposition to the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament . On 1 April 2023, Labor's Mary Doyle

4284-500: The Coalition parties to safely contest the same seats. Full-preference preferential voting re-elected the Hawke government at the 1990 election , the first time in federal history that Labor had obtained a net benefit from preferential voting. From 1949 onwards, the vast majority of electorates, nearly 90%, are won by the candidate leading on first preferences, giving the same result as if

4403-460: The Journal of Australian Studies by C. J. Coventry concluded that Hawke's achievement was "possibly fabricated" and "cultural propaganda" designed to make Hawke appealing to unionised workers and nationalistic middle-class voters. The article contends that "its location and time remain uncertain; there are no known witnesses; the field of competition was exclusive and with no scientific accountability;

4522-473: The People's Initiative , the three constitutionally sanctioned methods of amending the Constitution. Bob Hawke Prime Minister of Australia Term of government (1983–1991) Ministries Elections Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and trade unionist who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991. He held office as

4641-794: The Philippine Executive Commission , or PEC, was established as the temporary caretaker government of the City of Greater Manila , and eventually, of the whole Philippines during the Japanese occupation of the country during World War II. The PEC existed until the Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine Republic was established in October 1943. In 1986, President Corazon Aquino dissolved the 1973 Constitution and called for its revision. From February 1986 to February 1987,

4760-575: The Privy Council of the United Kingdom . A minister must be a senator or member of the House of Representatives at the time of their appointment, or become one within three months of their appointment. This provision was included in the Constitution (section 64) to enable the inaugural ministry, led by Edmund Barton , to be appointed on 1 January 1901, even though the first federal elections were not scheduled to be held until 29 and 30 March. After

4879-689: The United Kingdom from Australia. In June 1991, Hawke faced a leadership challenge by the Treasurer , Paul Keating , but Hawke managed to retain power; however, Keating mounted a second challenge six months later, and won narrowly, replacing Hawke as prime minister. Hawke subsequently retired from parliament, pursuing both a business career and a number of charitable causes, until his death in 2019, aged 89. Hawke remains his party's longest-serving Prime Minister, and Australia's third-longest-serving prime minister behind Robert Menzies and John Howard . He

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4998-561: The Westminster system , the government of the day and the prime minister must achieve and maintain the confidence of this House in order to gain and remain in power. The House of Representatives currently consists of 151 members, elected by and representing single member districts known as electoral divisions (commonly referred to as "electorates" or "seats"). The number of members is not fixed but can vary with boundary changes resulting from electoral redistributions , which are required on

5117-616: The 1970s, there were other prominent people at that time who secretly gave information. Biographer Troy Bramston rejects the view that Hawke's prolonged, discreet involvement with known members of the Central Intelligence Agency within the US Embassy amounted to Hawke being a CIA "spy". Hawke's first attempt to enter Parliament came during the 1963 federal election . He stood in the seat of Corio in Geelong and managed to achieve

5236-557: The 1981 Campbell Report, opposition from Fraser himself had stalled this process. 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". 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;

5355-427: The ACTU and ALP informed the US of details surrounding labour disputes, especially those relating to American companies and individuals, such as union disputes with Ford Motor Company and the black ban of Frank Sinatra . The major industrial action taken against Sinatra came about because Sinatra had made sexist comments against female journalists. The dispute was the subject of the 2003 film The Night We Called It

5474-605: The Antarctic drilling ban was his "proudest achievement". 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

5593-573: The Cabinet are members of the Executive Council. A senior Cabinet member holds the office of Vice-President of the Executive Council and acts as presiding officer of the Executive Council in the absence of the governor-general. The Federal Executive Council is the Australian equivalent of the executive councils and privy councils in other Commonwealth realms such as the King's Privy Council for Canada and

5712-538: The Cabinet as a legal entity; it exists solely by convention. Its decisions do not in and of themselves have legal force. However, it serves as the practical expression of the Federal Executive Council , which is Australia's highest formal executive body. In practice, the Federal Executive Council meets solely to endorse and give legal force to decisions already made by the Cabinet. All members of

5831-523: The Constitution, each state is entitled to members based on a population quota determined from the "latest statistics of the Commonwealth". These statistics arise from the census conducted under the auspices of section 51(xi) . Until its repeal by the 1967 referendum , section 127 prohibited the inclusion of Aboriginal people in section 24 determinations as including the Indigenous peoples could alter

5950-445: The Government guaranteed to both minimise inflation and promote an increased social wage, including by establishing new social programmes such as Medicare. 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

6069-526: The Government's time in office included the public health campaign regarding HIV/AIDS, and Indigenous land rights reform, with an investigation of the idea of a treaty between Aborigines and the Government being launched, although the latter would be overtaken by events, notably the Mabo court decision . 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

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6188-545: The House chamber. Due to the unique role of what was then called the Main Committee, proposals were made to rename the body to avoid confusion with other parliamentary committees, including "Second Chamber" and "Federation Chamber". The House of Representatives later adopted the latter proposal. The concept of a parallel body to expedite Parliamentary business, based on the Australian Federation Chamber,

6307-412: The House of Representatives and the Senate. The Federation Chamber is a second debating chamber that considers relatively uncontroversial matters referred by the House. The Federation Chamber cannot, however, initiate or make a final decision on any parliamentary business, although it can perform all tasks in between. The Federation Chamber was created in 1994 as the Main Committee, to relieve some of

6426-484: The House of Representatives in a newly federated Australia . The House is presided over by the speaker . Members of the House are elected from single member electorates (geographic districts, commonly referred to as "seats" but officially known as " Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives "). One vote, one value legislation requires all electorates to have approximately the same number of voters with

6545-590: The House's own affairs. These include the Selection Committee that determines how the House will deal with particular pieces of legislation and private members business and the Privileges Committee that deals with matters of parliamentary privilege. Legislative scrutiny committees , which examine legislation and regulations to determine their impact on individual rights and accountability. Joint committees are also established to include both members of

6664-516: The Labor Party in August 1978. Neil Batt was elected in his place. The strain of this period took its toll on Hawke and in 1979 he suffered a physical collapse. This shock led Hawke to publicly announce his alcoholism in a television interview, and that he would make a concerted—and ultimately successful—effort to overcome it. He was helped through this period by the relationship that he had established with writer Blanche d'Alpuget , who, in 1982, published

6783-401: 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

6902-521: The Philippines was governed under a provisional constitution called the "Freedom Constitution", which was drafted by her Executive Secretary Joker Arroyo . In September 1986, the Constitutional Commission of 1986 was set up with all its members appointed by Aquino. The revised Philippine Constitution was ratified by a plebiscite with 76% of votes in the affirmative. An unrelated concept is

7021-476: The Senate and of the House of Representatives, and of the members and the committees of each House, shall be such as are declared by the Parliament, and until declared shall be those of the Commons House of Parliament of the United Kingdom, and of its members and committees, at the establishment of the Commonwealth." Parliamentary committees can be given a wide range of powers. One of the most significant powers

7140-493: The Senate are usually more meaningful. The House's well-established committee system is not always as prominent as the Senate committee system because of the frequent lack of Senate majority. In a reflection of the United Kingdom House of Commons , the predominant colour of the furnishings in the House of Representatives is green. However, the colour was tinted slightly in the new Parliament House (opened 1988) to suggest

7259-486: The Senate to stand for the 24 February by-election in Holt's former House of Representatives electorate of Higgins due to the convention that the prime minister be a member of the lower house. For 22 days (2 to 23 February inclusive) he was prime minister while a member of neither house of parliament. On a number of occasions when ministers have retired from their seats prior to an election, or stood but lost their own seats in

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7378-535: The ban on apartheid teams and later that year, the South African cricket team was successfully denied and no apartheid team was to ever come to Australia again. It was this ongoing dedication to racial equality in South Africa that would later earn Hawke the respect and friendship of Nelson Mandela . In industrial matters, Hawke continued to demonstrate a preference for, and considerable skill at, negotiation, and

7497-417: 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." Although criticisms were leveled against the Hawke government that it did not achieve all it said it would do on social policy, it nevertheless enacting a series of reforms which remain in place to

7616-531: The burden of the House: different matters can be processed in the House at large and in the Federation Chamber, as they sit simultaneously. It is designed to be less formal, with a quorum of only three members: the deputy speaker of the House, one government member, and one non-government member. Decisions must be unanimous: any divided decision sends the question back to the House at large. The Federation Chamber

7735-420: 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. 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

7854-481: The colour of eucalyptus trees. Also, unlike the House of Commons, the seating arrangement of the crossbench is curved, similar to the curved seating arrangement of the United States House of Representatives . This suggests a more collaborative, and less oppositional, system than in the United Kingdom parliament (where all members of parliament are seated facing the opposite side). Australian parliaments are notoriously rowdy, with MPs often trading colourful insults. As

7973-608: 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. 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 , offered repeated criticisms of

8092-468: The construction of the Franklin Dam in Tasmania , responding to a groundswell of protest around the issue. 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

8211-426: The distribution of seats between the states to the benefit of states with larger Aboriginal populations. The total number of seats representing states in the House of Representatives must be "as nearly as practicable, twice the number of the senators", according to section 24 of the Constitution. This requirement is known as the "nexus provision". This requirement was included in the Constitution in order to maintain

8330-412: The election called at the same time that Hawke became Labor leader this meant that Hawke never sat in Parliament as Leader of the Opposition having spent the entirety of his short Opposition leadership in the election campaign which he won. 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

8449-431: The election, they have retained their ministerial offices until the next government is sworn in. In addition to the work of the main chamber, the House of Representatives also has a large number of committees which deal with matters referred to them by the main House. They provide the opportunity for all MPs to ask questions of ministers and public officials as well as conduct inquiries, examine policy and legislation. Once

8568-403: The establishment of the enterprise bargaining system, although this would be finalised shortly after Hawke left office in 1991. 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

8687-514: The expulsion of Iraqi 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

8806-533: The federal government take over unemployment insurance and pensions from the provinces. The Quebec-initiated Royal Commission of Inquiry on Constitutional Problems of 1953 to 1956 argued (unsuccessfully) for the devolution of more powers to the Province of Quebec. The federal Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism recommended (successfully) that Canada become officially bilingual and bicultural (later modified to multi cultural). In January 1942,

8925-520: The final straw in convincing Hayden that he would have to resign as Labor Leader. Less than two months after the Flinders by-election result, Hayden announced his resignation as Leader of the Labor Party on 3 February 1983. Hawke was subsequently elected as Leader unopposed on 8 February, and became Leader of the Opposition in the process. Having learned that morning about the possible leadership change, on

9044-529: The full allocation of preferences, it is possible to derive a two-party-preferred figure, where the votes have been allocated between the two main candidates in the election. In Australia, this is usually between the candidates from the Coalition parties and the Australian Labor Party . Under the Constitution, the governor-general has the power to appoint and dismiss the "Queen's Ministers of State" who administer government departments. In practice,

9163-440: The government accountable as much as possible by asking questions of importance during question time and during debates on legislation. By contrast, the only period in recent times during which the government of the day has had a majority in the Senate was from July 2005 (when the senators elected at the 2004 election took their seats) to July 2008 (when the senators elected at the 2007 election took their seats). Hence, votes in

9282-630: 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. After Australia won the 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. In particular,

9401-521: The governor-general chooses ministers in accordance with the traditions of the Westminster system that the government be drawn from the party or coalition of parties that has a majority in the House of Representatives, with the leader of the largest party becoming prime minister . A sub-set of the most important ministers then meet in a council known as Cabinet . Cabinet meetings are strictly private and are frequently held to discuss vital issues and make policy decisions. The Constitution does not recognise

9520-561: 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. 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. Despite

9639-429: The leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), having previously served as the president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions from 1969 to 1980 and president of the Labor Party national executive from 1973 to 1978. Hawke was born in Border Town , South Australia . He attended the University of Western Australia and went on to study at University College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar . In 1956, Hawke joined

9758-451: 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. The Labor Caucus under Hawke also developed a more formalised system of parliamentary factions , which significantly altered the dynamics of caucus operations. Unlike many of his predecessor leaders, Hawke's authority within

9877-443: The lower house and thus only the party with a majority in the lower house can govern. In the current Australian party system, this ensures that virtually all contentious votes are along party lines, and the government party usually has a majority in those votes in the lower house. The opposition party's main role in the House is to present arguments against the government's policies and legislation where appropriate and attempt to hold

9996-606: The missiles, the furore led to a fall in Hawke's approval ratings. Shortly after the 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 in the Gulf War . The Royal Australian Navy contributed several destroyers and frigates to the war effort, which successfully concluded in February 1991, with

10115-482: The next election. Hawke decided to challenge Hayden in the spill, but Hayden defeated him by five votes; the margin of victory, however, was too slim to dispel doubts that he could lead the Labor Party to victory at an election. Despite his defeat, Hawke began to agitate more seriously behind the scenes for a change in leadership, with opinion polls continuing to show that Hawke was a far more popular public figure than both Hayden and Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser . Hayden

10234-524: The opposition Albanese -led Labor Party gaining 77 seats in the 151 seat House of Representatives, for a two-seat majority government , while the Coalition lost 18 seats to finish with 58 seats, their worst result since 1946 (the first election after the formation of the current Liberal Party). On the crossbench , the Australian Greens gained three seats, upping their total from one to four, while

10353-462: The original HECS, a $ 1,800 fee 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

10472-547: The person who can control a majority of votes in the lower house is invited by the governor-general to form the government. In practice that means that the leader of the party (or coalition of parties) with a majority of members in the House becomes the prime minister , who then can nominate other elected members of the government party in both the House and the Senate to become ministers responsible for various portfolios and administer government departments. Bills appropriating money (supply bills) can only be introduced or amended in

10591-596: The political partnership that developed between Hawke and his 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. The two men proved a study in contrasts: Hawke was a Rhodes Scholar ; Keating left high school early. Hawke's enthusiasms were cigars, betting and most forms of sport; Keating preferred classical architecture , Mahler symphonies and collecting British Regency and French Empire antiques. Despite not knowing one another before Hawke assumed

10710-440: The power of the Senate relative to the House of Representative: both due to the belief by the drafters of the Constitution that a numerically weaker Senate would inherently lead to a lower "influence, prestige, and dignity" and to ensure the influence of the Senate in case of a joint sitting after a double dissolution. Another reason was to make it harder politically for the House of Representatives to be increased, thereby maintaining

10829-409: The present day. From 1983 to 1989, the Government oversaw the permanent establishment of universal health care in Australia with the creation of Medicare , doubled the number of subsidised childcare places, began the introduction of occupational superannuation , oversaw a significant increase in school retention rates, created subsidised homecare services, oversaw the elimination of poverty traps in

10948-487: 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

11067-504: The record was first published in a beer pamphlet; and Hawke's recollections were unreliable." Not long after Hawke began work at the ACTU, he became responsible for the presentation of its annual case for higher wages to the national wages tribunal, the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission . He was first appointed as an ACTU advocate in 1959. The 1958 case, under previous advocate R.L. Eggleston, had yielded only

11186-568: The region, this led to the creation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). The 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

11305-512: The same that Hawke assumed the leadership of the Labor Party, Malcolm Fraser called a snap election for 5 March 1983 , unsuccessfully attempting to prevent Labor from making the leadership change. However, he was unable to have the Governor-General confirm the election before Labor announced the change. At the 1983 election, Hawke led Labor to a landslide victory, achieving a 24-seat swing and ending seven years of Liberal Party rule. With

11424-400: The same votes had been counted using first-past-the-post voting . The highest proportion of seats (up to 2010) won by the candidate not leading on first preferences was the 1972 federal election , with 14 of 125 seats not won by the plurality candidate. The main elements of the operation of preferential voting for single-member House of Representatives divisions are as follows: Following

11543-451: The second child of Arthur "Clem" Hawke (1898–1989), a Congregationalist minister, and his wife Edith Emily (Lee) (1897–1979) (known as Ellie), a schoolteacher. His uncle, Bert , was the Labor premier of Western Australia between 1953 and 1959. Hawke's brother Neil, who was seven years his senior, died at the age of seventeen after contracting meningitis , for which there was no cure at

11662-652: The smaller states over representation in the lower house due to their constitutional minimum of five seats. The requirements for territory seats are set via legislation, which currently requires that the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have at least one member each. According to the Constitution, the powers of both Houses are nearly equal, with the consent of both Houses needed to pass legislation. The difference mostly relates to taxation legislation. In practice, by convention,

11781-516: The subsidisation of loss-making industries, and sold off part of the state-owned Commonwealth Bank . 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. Partially offsetting these imposts upon

11900-400: The three-day summit led to a unanimous adoption of a national economic strategy, generating sufficient political capital for widespread reform to follow. Among other reforms, the Hawke government 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

12019-404: The time. Ellie Hawke subsequently developed an almost messianic belief in her son's destiny, and this contributed to Hawke's supreme self-confidence throughout his career. At the age of fifteen, he presciently boasted to friends that he would one day become the prime minister of Australia . At the age of seventeen, Hawke had a serious crash while riding his Panther motorcycle that left him in

12138-448: The visit, Mandela publicly thanked the Hawke government for the role it played in the boycott. 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. Hawke and Keating were also able to use

12257-403: 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. During the 1980s, the proportion of total government outlays allocated to families, the sick, single parents, widows, the handicapped, and veterans

12376-797: The world, particularly after the later inclusions of China and Russia, and the Keating government 's later establishment of the APEC Leaders' Forum. Elsewhere in Asia, the Hawke government played a significant role in the build-up to the United Nations peace process for Cambodia , culminating in the Transitional Authority; Hawke's Foreign Minister Gareth Evans was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in negotiations. Hawke also took

12495-643: Was also president of the university's guild during the same year. The following year, Hawke won a Rhodes Scholarship to attend University College, Oxford , where he began a Bachelor of Arts course in philosophy, politics and economics (PPE). He soon found he was covering much the same ground as he had in his education at the University of Western Australia, and transferred to a Bachelor of Letters course. He wrote his thesis on wage-fixing in Australia and successfully presented it in January 1956. In 1956, Hawke accepted

12614-491: Was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet by Labor Leader Bill Hayden as Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations. Hayden, after having led the Labor Party to narrowly lose the 1980 election, was increasingly subject to criticism from Labor MPs over his leadership style. To quell speculation over his position, Hayden called a leadership spill on 16 July 1982, believing that if he won he would be guaranteed to lead Labor through to

12733-410: Was created through the House's standing orders: it is thus a subordinate body of the House, and can only be in session while the House itself is in session. When a division vote in the House occurs, members in the Federation Chamber must return to the House to vote. The Federation Chamber is housed in one of the House's committee rooms; the room is customised for this purpose and is laid out to resemble

12852-448: 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. As part of his internal reforms package, Hawke divided

12971-416: Was described by US diplomats as "a bulwark against anti-American sentiment and resurgent communism during the economic turmoil of the 1970s", and often disputed with the Whitlam government over issues of foreign policy and industrial relations. US diplomats played a major role in shaping Hawke's consensus politics and economics. Although Hawke was the most prolific Australian informer for the United States in

13090-626: Was elected as the Federal President of the Labor Party . Two years later, when the Whitlam government was controversially dismissed by the Governor-General , Hawke showed an initial keenness to enter Parliament at the ensuing election . Harry Jenkins , the MP for Scullin , came under pressure to step down to allow Hawke to stand in his place, but he strongly resisted this push. Hawke eventually decided not to attempt to enter Parliament at that time,

13209-463: 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 AC Nielsen approval rating of 75%. The Hawke government oversaw significant economic reforms, and

13328-837: Was further weakened after Labor's unexpectedly poor performance at a by-election in December 1982 for the Victorian seat of Flinders , following the resignation of the sitting member, former deputy Liberal leader Phillip Lynch . Labor needed a swing of 5.5% to win the seat and had been predicted by the media to win, but could only achieve 3%. Labor Party power-brokers, such as Graham Richardson and Barrie Unsworth , now openly switched their allegiance from Hayden to Hawke. More significantly, Hayden's staunch friend and political ally, Labor's Senate Leader John Button , had become convinced that Hawke's chances of victory at an election were greater than Hayden's. Initially, Hayden believed that he could remain in his job, but Button's defection proved to be

13447-581: Was generally liked and respected by employers as well as the unions he advocated for. As early as 1972, speculation began that he would seek to enter the Parliament of Australia and eventually run to become the Leader of the Australian Labor Party . But while his professional career continued successfully, his heavy drinking and womanising placed considerable strains on his family life. In June 1973, Hawke

13566-484: Was made by Hawke's mentor at ANU, H. P. Brown, who for a number of years had assisted the ACTU in national wage cases. Hawke decided to abandon his doctoral studies and accept the offer, moving to Melbourne with his wife Hazel . Hawke is well known for a "world record" allegedly achieved at Oxford University for a beer skol (scull) of a yard of ale in 11 seconds. The record is widely regarded as having been important to his career and ocker chic image. A 2023 article in

13685-455: Was mentioned in a 1998 British House of Commons report, which led to the creation of that body's parallel chamber Westminster Hall. The current Parliament is the 47th Australian Parliament. The most recent federal election was held on 21 May 2022 , with the 47th Parliament first sitting in July 2022. The 2022 election saw the incumbent Liberal / National Coalition government defeated, with

13804-403: Was put in place after the 1918 Swan by-election , which Labor unexpectedly won with the largest primary vote and the help of vote splitting in the conservative parties. The Nationalist government of the time changed the lower house voting system from first-past-the-post to full-preferential voting, effective from the 1919 general election . The Constitution of Australia of 1900 established

13923-490: Was significantly higher than under the previous Fraser and Whitlam governments. In 1984, the Hawke government enacted the landmark Sex Discrimination Act 1984 , which eliminated discrimination on the grounds of sex within the workplace. In 1989, Hawke oversaw the gradual re-introduction of some tuition fees for university study, creating set up the Higher Education Contributions Scheme (HECS). Under

14042-474: Was subsequently elected to the Australian House of Representatives as a member of parliament (MP) for the division of Wills at the 1980 federal election . Three years later, he was elected unopposed to replace Bill Hayden as leader of the Australian Labor Party , and within five weeks led Labor to a landslide victory at the 1983 election , and was sworn in as prime minister. He led Labor to victory

14161-574: Was the major factor in the government's narrow re-election at the 1990 election . 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. Hawke later claimed that

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