Bob Hawke
A beer-drinking, record-setting union leader who became Australia's most electorally successful Labor Prime Minister, championing economic reform and social consensus.
1929–2019 (age 90)·Prime Minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991·Birthday: December 9·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bob Hawke was a paradox who became a political phenomenon. He first captured the national imagination not in parliament, but as the charismatic, hard-drinking president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, where he mediated fierce industrial disputes. His move to politics was swift, and in 1983 he led the Labor Party to victory, immediately forging an unprecedented accord with unions to manage wages and inflation. As Prime Minister, Hawke's larrikin charm and common touch—memorably demonstrated when he shed a tear after Australia's America's Cup win—masked a sharp, pragmatic mind. In partnership with his cerebral Treasurer, Paul Keating, he floated the Australian dollar, deregulated the financial system, and introduced universal healthcare (Medicare). His government modernized the Australian economy while expanding social welfare, a balancing act that won him four consecutive elections before internal party rivalry ended his tenure.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bob was born in 1929, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1929
#1 Movie
The Broadway Melody
Best Picture
The Broadway Melody
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1929Born
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1934Started school
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1942Became a teenager
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1945Could drive
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1947Could vote
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1950Turned 21
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1959Turned 30
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1969Turned 40
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 50
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 60
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 70
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 80
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Died at 90
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
Key Achievements
- Served as Prime Minister of Australia for four consecutive terms from 1983 to 1991, a Labor Party record.
- Floated the Australian dollar and deregulated the nation's financial system in partnership with Treasurer Paul Keating.
- Established Medicare, Australia's universal public health insurance scheme.
- Successfully brokered the historic Prices and Incomes Accord with trade unions to manage economic policy.
Did You Know?
He held a world record for speed-drinking a yard of ale (roughly 2.5 pints) while a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford.
He was a television game show panelist on 'Pick-a-Box' in the 1960s before entering politics.
He was famously profane; a collection of his off-the-cuff remarks was published as 'Hawke's Language.'
He is the only Australian Prime Minister to have been born in South Australia.
“Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum.”
