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Governor-General Bill Hayden Opens The 36th Parliament

May 08, 1990

This is the speech by Governor-General Bill Hayden opening the 36th Parliament following the 1990 federal election.

It was Hayden’s first opening of parliament since his appointment as Governor-General in 1989. Previously, Hayden was Foreign Minister in the Hawke Labor government (1983-88). He was Minister for Social Security and Treasurer in the Whitlam Labor government (1972-75).

  • Listen to Hayden

Hansard transcript of Governor-General Bill Hayden’s speech opening Parliament.

His Excellency the Governor-General entered the chamber and, being seated, with the President on his right hand, commanded that a message be sent to the House of Representatives intimating that His Excellency desired the attendance of honourable members in the Senate chamber forthwith, who having come with their Speaker, His Excellency was pleased to deliver the following speech: [Read more…]

Filed Under: 1990 Federal Election, A.L.P., Audio, Governor-General, Hawke, Opening Parliament Tagged With: , , ,

Governor-General Bill Hayden Interviewed By Laurie Oakes

Jun 30, 1989

This video of Laurie Oakes interviewing Governor-General Bill Hayden was broadcast in 1989.

I’m not sure of the precise date of the broadcast. It is dated here as June 30 for filing purposes.

Hayden became Governor-General in February 1989, after a 27-year career as a Labor politician.

Elected to the Queensland seat of Oxley in 1961, Hayden became Minister for Social Security in the Whitlam government in 1972. He introduced Medibank, the precursor of the current Medicare, Australia’s first system of universal health insurance. In 1975, he became Treasurer.

Hayden became Leader of the Opposition after the ALP’s defeat in the 1977 federal election. He led the party at the 1980 election, picking up seats but failing to win.

Hayden stood down as leader and was replaced by Bob Hawke on the eve of the 1983 federal election. He served as Foreign Minister in the Hawke government between 1983 and 1988.

Hayden was Governor-General until 1996 when he was replaced by Sir William Deane.

In this interview with Laurie Oakes, Hayden studiously avoids making any political comment on his notorious predecessor, Sir John Kerr, the man who dismissed the Whitlam government in 1975.

  • Watch Hayden interviewed by Oakes (15m)


Filed Under: Governor-General, Video Tagged With: , , ,

Achievements: ALP 1987 Federal Election Video For Party Members

Jul 01, 1987

This is an ALP video distributed to party members during the 1987 Federal election campaign.

Introduced by Immigration Minister Mick Young, the man who ran the ALP’s It’s Time campaign in 1972, the video gives some insight into the thinking inside the Labor government as it faced the electorate in an early double dissolution election.

Featuring Prime Minister Bob Hawke, Education Minister Senator Susan Ryan, Social Security Minister Brian Howe and Foreign Minister Bill Hayden, it is clear that the government is concerned that ALP members and supporters are less than enthusiastic about the government’s achievements. Whilst the Hawke government is now lauded for its program of economic reform, many of these policies were greeted sceptically in the 1980s. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 1987 Federal Election, A.L.P., Hawke, Video Tagged With: , , , ,

The ‘Blood On Your Hands’ Interview: Bob Hawke And Richard Carleton

Feb 03, 1983

This is the famous ‘blood on your hands’ interview with Bob Hawke and Richard Carleton on the night Hawke became leader of the ALP.

It was Hawke’s first major television interview after becoming leader, following Bill Hayden’s resignation earlier in the day.

The interview was on the ABC’s Nationwide program. Nationwide was the successor to This Day Tonight (TDT) and the forerunner to The 7.30 Report and 7.30. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 1983 Federal Election, A.L.P., Audio, Hawke Tagged With: , , ,
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