Labor In Power

Two men have dominated Australian political life for more than a decade - Bob Hawke and Paul Keating. Through the 1980s and the early 1990s, Hawke as Prime Minister and Keating as Treasurer formed one of the greatest partnerships in Australian political history. But they were also rivals, and both wanted the top job. Eventually, Paul Keating would take over - but it would take the best part of a decade.

It was during the disastrous 1984 election campaign that Bob Hawke siezed on the idea of a Taxation Summit rather than put forward definite tax reforms. Recalling his earlier success with the National Economic Summit, the Prime Minister reached for community census. Paul Keating was furious. He could think of nothing worse than thrashing out tax in public.