Bob Hawke was elected the Member for Wills (Victoria) in 1980. He was Shadow Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations from 1980 to 1983.

Hawke became Leader of the Opposition in February 1983. The next month he was prime minister. His term continued until 1991, when Paul Keating successfully challenged his leadership. Hawke left politics in February 1992.

• Personal records of Hawke
• Hawke before his term as Prime Minister
• Cabinet records
• Departmental records
• Open records concerning Hawke
• Hazel Hawke
• Photographs
• Relevant research guides
• Research databases

Many of the Archives' records relevant to Bob Hawke are not yet available for public access. Under the Archives Act 1983, Commonwealth records are open to public access 30 years from the date they were created. The records of the Hawke government will begin coming into the open period in 2014.

This page introduces the records relevant to Bob Hawke and features those currently available to the public – mainly photographs or audiovisual material that is already in the public domain.

See Access to records under the Archives Act.

Personal records of Hawke

People in prominent positions often have significant personal collections of records, as well as creating records in the institutions in which they work. These personal collections are usually a mixture of official and private material and may span a number of different positions. The National Archives collects personal records from Governors-General, Prime Ministers, ministers and some judges. For more information, see Commonwealth persons.

The National Archives holds a significant collection of Bob Hawke's personal records. It comprises a number of different series, primarily created by Hawke as Prime Minister, as well as records he created as a Cabinet minister. Included are subject and correspondence files, notes made during question time, ministerial media releases and speeches, photographs, audio tapes, video cassettes, invitations and press clippings.

More detailed information on Hawke's personal records can be found in RecordSearch. Enter his Commonwealth person number (CP 390) into the field for 'Reference numbers'. Then select from the 'Search' drop-down menu to search 'Series'.

Hawke before his term as Prime Minister

Bob Hawke became Prime Minister without first holding a ministerial portfolio. Hawke took the seat of Wills on 25 November 1980. He became Labor Party leader and Leader of the Opposition on 8 February 1983. Before becoming a federal parliamentarian, Hawke was the President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) from 1969 to 1980.

Cabinet records

Cabinet records consist of minutes, submissions, memoranda and other documents of Cabinet decisions. They are a valuable source for research on the work of a former Prime Minister.

Cabinet records created in 1983 – the Hawke government's first year in power – will be open for public access in 2014.

Cabinet notebooks record the proceedings of Cabinet meetings, including individual ministers' views. Because this material is more sensitive, the closed period for Cabinet notebooks is longer – 50 years. Cabinet notebooks from Hawke's term will not open until 2034.

For more information, see The Collection – Cabinet.

Departmental records

Records documenting the work of former prime ministers can also be found in series created by government departments. For Hawke, records created by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (CA 1401) will be most useful. Hawke was Treasurer for only two days, but it may also be worth searching the Treasury records (CA 2141).

Each Commonwealth agency (or CA) has a number, as cited above. These numbers can be used to search RecordSearch for records created by that agency. Enter an agency number (eg CA 1401) into the field for 'Reference numbers'. Then select from the 'Search' drop-down menu to search 'Series'.

Open records concerning Hawke

On occasion, the government authorises the release of Commonwealth records for public access before they are 30 years old. Of relevance to Hawke and his period as Prime Minister are records from 1954 to 1985 relating to the royal commission into British nuclear tests in Australia. These were released for public access in 1986. One exhibit tendered before the Commission contained letters to Malcolm Fraser and Bob Hawke.

Hazel Hawke

Various government departments will have created Commonwealth records relating to Hazel Hawke in her role as spouse of the Prime Minister. The National Archives also holds over 20 photographs of Hazel Hawke.

Relevant research guides

The National Archives has produced a number of research guides and fact sheets that may assist you with your research on Robert James Lee Hawke. These are available from the website and in print versions.

Records of Australian prime ministers, 1901–71 (Fact Sheet 70)

Royal Commission on Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (Fact Sheet 112)

Aboriginal deaths in custody: The royal commission and its records, 1987–91 (Research Guide 2)

British nuclear tests at Maralinga (Fact Sheet 129)

Sound recordings in the National Archives (Research Guide 17)

Australian Overseas Information Service photographs (Fact Sheet 47)

Research databases

RecordSearch contains searchable descriptions of millions of items from our collection. Many of them are wholly digitised.

PhotoSearch allows you to search and browse over 110 000 photographs from our collection.