Medicare. Aggressively tackling child poverty. Protecting the Franklin River, Kakadu, Antarctica. Responding to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Fighting Apartheid. Taking refugees after the Tiananmen Square massacre. Handing back Uluru. Establishing ATSIC. Confronting the causes of Aboriginal deaths in custody. Pushing for Treaty. Cutting ties with Britain. Advocating for gender pay parity. Banning sex discrimination and requiring affirmative action for women. Appointing the first minister for women and the first female High Court judge. Bob Hawke wasn’t perfect, but he was pretty bloody good.
17 May 2019