Keating, Paul John

Keating, Paul John (b. 18 Jan. 1944). Prime Minster of Australia 1991–6 Born in Bankstown (Sydney), he joined the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in 1959, becoming President of the New South Wales (NSW) ALP Youth Council in 1966. In 1968, he became an officer for the Federated Municipal and Shire Council Employees' Union, and in 1969 was elected to the House of Representatives. Serving briefly as Minister for Northern Australia under Whitlam in 1975, he became chairman of the pivotal New South Wales branch of the ALP in 1979. As treasurer under Hawke, he became his principal lieutenant, overseeing the economic boom of the mid-1980s and ensuring the maintenance of good labour relations through his close contacts with the trade unions. He was unsuccessful in his challenge to Hawke for the party leadership in June 1991, and resigned. However, as Labor looked destined to lose the next elections, in December 1991 he managed to replace Hawke as Labor leader and Prime Minister. Against all predictions, he managed to win the 1993 elections. He continued his predecessor's careful economic policies which maintained a stable inflation rate, but was more prepared to accommodate the grievances of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in the face of opposition by the individual states. He effectively sought to increase his personal popularity through appealing to Australian nationalist sentiment, leading moves to abolish the monarchy (which was still shared with the UK) and spearheading (and fuelling) national outrage against the resumption of French nuclear testing at Mururoa. He failed to address more immediate problems such as the high unemployment rate or the strength of the trade-union grip on the economy. As a result, he lost the elections on 2 March 1996 to Howard. He resigned from political life and held a number of visiting professorships.