Talk:Bob Hawke

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A news item involving Bob Hawke was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the In the news section on 16 May 2019.

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Archived

I archived what was on this talk page --Celco85Celco85 (talk) 14:30, 12 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Where has it been archived?????Fleet Lists (talk) 23:02, 12 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

US intelligence asset

An article by academic Cameron Coventry is about to be published in the peer-reviewed Australian Journal of Politics & History. The article analyses diplomatic cables from official archives, and finds that, while serving as leader of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), and President of the Labor party, Hawke passed on sensitive information about the government, the trade union movement and more to the US over many years. We don't currently say much about Hawke's connections to the US.^[1] The story has been picked up by RT, Murdoch's Australian and a few other small sites.^[2] Burrobert (talk) 08:25, 29 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

In 2013, using Wikileaks Public Library of US diplomacy as its source, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Hawke's connections to the US: "Then ACTU president Bob Hawke was the US embassy's most valued Labor contact, conferring regularly with embassy officers and the consulate in Melbourne. Mr Hawke was scathing of Mr Whitlam, describing him as "difficult and very egocentric ('even for me')" ".^[3] Burrobert (talk) 10:26, 3 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The Guardian has now published an article on the cables.^[4] There are some interesting finds:

In August 1974, for example, Hawke told diplomats that the wage demands for which Australian unionists thought he was fighting were actually to blame for Australia’s rampant inflation.
In public, he backed an “independent non-aligned Australia” (a popular stance in the aftermath of the Vietnam war); in private, he told US officials he wanted the Anzus co-defence pact extended beyond a “purely military alliance”.
Coventry says the Americans valued their relationship with Hawke because he “helped protect [US] defence installations, provided information about union disputes and warned officials that installations could be targeted”.
The Americans particularly appreciated Hawke’s willingness to deradicalise the labour movement. As Coventry puts it: “Hawke proved useful in pre-empting and pacifying union disputes.”

Burrobert (talk) 10:26, 3 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

References

^ Coventry, Cameron. "The 'Eloquence' of Robert J. Hawke: United States informer, 1973-79". ResearchGate. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
^ Walker, Jamie (28 June 2021). "Secret notes claim Bob Hawke 'informed' for US government". The Australian. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
^ Dorling, Philip (8 April 2013). "Hawke and Carr were US sources on Whitlam turmoil". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
^ Sparrow, Jeff (2 July 2021). "Secret embassy cables cast the Bob Hawke legend in a different light | Jeff Sparrow". the Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2021.

Birthplace

His town of birth is spelled Bordertown (one word), not Border Town 14.2.207.118 (talk) 02:09, 26 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]

According to our article on Bordertown, South Australia, "It was officially known as Border Town until 5 April 1979 when its name was changed to Bordertown." So the name used in this article is correct for when he was born. HiLo48 (talk) 02:23, 26 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

William Cheung and Bob Hawke.jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 10:23, 25 February 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Too trivial?

Article doesn't say why he was born in Bordertown. I presume his father worked there as a (Congregationalist) minister.

Article doesn't say when (or why) he moved to Perth. I can't find it on Google, but it's between 1939 and 1942, and looks like 1942.

MBG02 (talk) 08:10, 16 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Divorce from Hazel

The infobox shows Hazel Masterson as Bob's first wife, with the additional info "(m, 1956; div, 1994)" - but the Personal life section states that "The couple divorced in 1995 ... ". Prisoner of Zenda (talk) 11:20, 21 November 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Does Hawke's 1983 quote after Australia II win deserve inclusion?

Bob Hawke said in 1983 after Australia II won the America's Cup “I'll tell you what: any boss who sacks a worker for not turning up today is a bum”.^[1] Does this quote say anything about Hawke or is it historically significant enough that it deserves inclusion? Qwerty123 (they/them) (talk) 05:19, 11 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, it's both a good historical detail and helps explain Hawke's electoral success through the 80s. Conflatuman (talk) 05:40, 7 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

References

^ Penberthy, Natsumi (26 September 2013). "Looking back: The 1983 America's Cup win". Australian Geographic. No. 116 (published September 2013). Archived from the original on 9 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024. "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.

Bob Hawke's drinking

Was Bob Hake have a drinking problem? Or was he a functioning Alcoholic 2001:8003:3883:D301:4B1:9E29:7A5B:CD0D (talk) 03:35, 23 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

This is covered fairly thoroughly in the Personal life section of the article There are quite a few references there that you can follow if you wish. HiLo48 (talk) 03:52, 23 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Overreliance on recent research contradicting biography

Multiple sections in this article, notably Beer Skull and US Informer, depend on recently published research by a single scholar, C.J. Coventry, often exclusively. Coventry is making interesting research arguments against well-established narratives, but it contradicts a lot of existing biographical material on a major Australian historical figure. This goes against WP:NOR. It would be better to revert to earlier versions or include more public sources, eg for the beer record. The US informer allegation is also overweight compared to other better established elements of the biography. New research might be included with some short sentence "some researchers suggest X". Conflatuman (talk) 05:50, 7 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

[1] Coventry, Cameron. "The 'Eloquence' of Robert J. Hawke: United States informer, 1973-79". ResearchGate. Retrieved 29 June 2021.

[2] Walker, Jamie (28 June 2021). "Secret notes claim Bob Hawke 'informed' for US government". The Australian. Retrieved 29 June 2021.

[3] Dorling, Philip (8 April 2013). "Hawke and Carr were US sources on Whitlam turmoil". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 June 2021.

[4] Sparrow, Jeff (2 July 2021). "Secret embassy cables cast the Bob Hawke legend in a different light | Jeff Sparrow". the Guardian. Retrieved 3 July 2021.

[5] Penberthy, Natsumi (26 September 2013). "Looking back: The 1983 America's Cup win". Australian Geographic. No. 116 (published September 2013). Archived from the original on 9 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024. "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.

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