Anglia Ruskin University

A four-week research visit to Australia this summer, in connection with the Labour History Research Unit British Academy-funded project on the British 'Winter of Discontent' 1978-9, also provided Professor John Shepherd with a memorable interview with the charismatic and colourful Bob Hawke, Australia's longest-serving Labour Prime Minister (1982-91). He is still highly active in Australian political life, especially with his campaigning for the current Kevin Rudd Labour government.

Professor Shepherd commented: "This summer the Australian Labour Party (ALP) awarded Bob Hawke ALP Life Membership at the party conference for his contribution to the Australian Labour movement and public life, only the third time the party has bestowed this honour during its history of 118 years. During Bob Hawke's time as Premier, Australia underwent some of the greatest social, educational and economic advances in its history with Hawke's programme of 'reconciliation, recovery and reconstruction'.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, Hawke had been the highly experiences President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and then Party President, which helped to bring together successfully the two wings of the Labour movement during his time as Prime Minister. He also played a central role in building the Australian national identity and Australia's place in the world.

Bob Hawke's views on British and world leaders provide additional valuable testimony to the research material I have gathered from interviews with British politicians. The opportunity to study Australian politics has provided me with an important perspective on my research on the James Callaghan and Margaret Thatcher governments. Also, Bob Hawke, who was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University, was most interested to learn about recent developments at Anglia Ruskin."

As well as research in Australian archives, John's visit gave him the pleasing opportunity to link up again with Russell Lansbury, Professor, Work and Organisational Studies, at the University of Sydney, and to attend his splendid Australian Workplace Conference. This occasion, addressed by Dr Ursula Stephens, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, brought together practitioners from business, education, welfare organisations and government to discuss current issues and strategies during the global economic downturn.

However, John's greatest surprise came when he gave a paper on the Callaghan Labour Government and British 'Winter of Discontent' in 1978-9. Remarkably, at the Business and Labour historian's seminar were two members of university staff whose fathers had been in Callaghan's 1976-9 administration.

For the future, some exciting collaborative ventures with Australia are now actively in progress, including holding a joint Australian-British History Conference in Cambridge and publishing a comparative research study of British and Australian Labour Party leaders.

For more information please email Professor John Shepherd.

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