REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Friday, December 13, 1991

FOR prime minister Bob Hawke, December 1991 was Waterloo.

The ALP icon had held the nation’s top job for nearly nine years but his years in office and destructive conflict with former deputy and treasurer Paul Keating had worn out his relationship with the electorate.

Mr Hawke threw down the gauntlet to Mr Keating and told him to challenge for leadership.

The Bulletin revealed Mr Keating had been able to hold the support of senior cabinet figures as Mr Keating’s forces continued the campaign to remove the PM.

It was revealed that six cabinet members had met Mr Hawke in his office to propose the veteran stand down from the nation’s top job to avoid a bloodbath caucus vote.

Among the group were Kim Beazley, Gareth Evans, Robert Ray, Michael Duffy, Gerry Hand and Nick Bolkus.

The ministers feared “damaging speculation about Mr Keating’s support, the government’s failure to discredit the opposition’s economic package and Mr Hawke’s slump in the polls”. Despite this advice, the prime minster declared he would be staying on, believing he still had the support of a majority of the caucus.

A caucus vote was held a week later which Mr Hawke lost, leading to his retirement from parliament within two months.

Mr Keating emerged victorious and remained prime minister until 1996 when the 13year-old Labor Government was voted out of office.

Labor would eventually return to power in 2007.

Meanwhile, Murwillumbah was hit by flooding.