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Biography

Paul John Keating was the 24thPrime Minister of Australia.

Early Life

Keating was born on 18 January 1944 atSt Margaret's Hospital inDarlinghurst, New South Wales, as the eldest of four children toMatthew Keating andMinnie Chapman.^[1] His father worked as a boilermaker for theNew South Wales Government Railways.^[2]

All of Keating's grandparents were born in Australia. On his father's side, he was descended from Irish immigrants born in countiesGalway,Roscommon, andTipperary. On his mother's side, he was of mixed English and Irish descent. His maternal great-grandparentsJohn Chapman andSarah Gallagher were both convicts, with both transported to theColony of New South Wales in the 1830s for theft.

Keating grew up inBankstown, an industrial outer western suburb of Sydney. He attended a Catholic school, De La Salle College, and left school before completing his secondary education. Sources vary about his age at leaving, either 14 or 15. He later studied at Belmore and Sydney Technical Colleges.^[3][4]

Before entering parliament Keating worked in clerical jobs and then joined the Federated Municipal and Shire Council Employees’ Union as an industrial officer. He also managed a rock band, the Ramrods.^[3][4]

Political Career

Keating joined theLabor Party at the age of 14 and served a term as State President ofYoung Labor.^[2][4]

He was elected to theHouse of Representatives in 1969 when he won the seat ofBlaxland.^[4][5]

He served briefly as Minister for Northern Australia in the final weeks of theWhitlam Government in 1975.^[4]

After Labor lost power, he held senior portfolios in theShadow Cabinets ofGough Whitlam andBill Hayden.^[4]

Following Labor's landslide victory at the 1983 election, Keating was appointedTreasurer. He andBob Hawke developed a powerful political partnership, overseeing significant economic reforms. During this time the Australian economy was deregulated by floating the Australian dollar.^[4][5]

Keating challenged Bob Hawke for leadership of the Labor Party in June 1991 and lost, but his challenge six months later was successful. He became Prime Minister in the aftermath of a recession he famously described as"the recession we had to have". His Government increased its majority at the 1993 election and some of its greater known achievements included enacting the Native Title Act to enshrine Aboriginal land rights, the introduction of compulsory superannuation and enterprise bargaining, and the creation of a national infrastructure development program.^[4][5][6]

At the 1996 election Labor suffered a landslide defeat to theLiberal-National Coalition led byJohn Howard, with Keating retiring from parliament shortly after the election.^[5]

Post-Politics Career

Since leaving parliament Keating has been a political commentator and maintained a broad range of business interests, including serving on the international board of theChina Development Bank.^[7]

Honours and Appointments

In 1997, Keating declined to accept the Companion of the Order of Australia, and is the only former prime minister not to hold the award since Australian honours were instituted in 1975. Keating's reason was his belief that honours should be reserved for unrecognised achievers.^[7][8]

Keating was appointed a Visiting Professor of Public Policy at theUniversity of New South Wales and was awarded honorary doctorates in law fromKeio University inTokyo (1995), theNational University of Singapore (1999), the University of New South Wales (2003) andMacquarie University (2012). He is a patron of the John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library atCurtin University in Western Australia.^[7]

Marriage and Family

Keating marriedAnna Johanna Maria (Annita) van Iersel on 17 January 1975 atOisterwijk in the Netherlands. They had four children together before separating in 1998. Annita was considered to be the perfect partner to a prime minister, with her command of several languages, her ability to be supportive without interfering, being involved but not too much, and her down-to-earth personality. She was a valuable asset during Australia's bid for the 2000 Olympic Games.^[9][10] The couple formally divorced in 2008.^[2]

Since 1998 Keating's partner has been the actressJulieanne Newbould.^[2]

Popular Culture

In 2005,Keating!, a musical based on Keating's life and career, premiered at theMelbourne International Comedy Festival. It went on to run until 2010, winning a number of awards. The show highlighted Keating's reputation for being sharp-tongued, his love of wearingZegna suits and collecting antique clocks and portrayed him as a man who struggles to make it to the top, to then find that he has to compete against three "bad guys" - successive Liberal Party leadersJohn Hewson,Alexander Downer andJohn Howard.^[11]

Sources

1. ↑ The Sydney Morning Herald, New South Wales, 22 January 1944, page 18, column 1,Family Notices. (Trove, National Library of Australia,https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/?type=newspapers : accessed 13 September 2021)
2. ↑^2.02.12.22.3 Wikipedia contributors, "Paul Keating," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Keating&oldid=1042713875 (accessed September 13, 2021).
3. ↑^3.03.1 Paul Keating. (National Museum of Australia,https://www.nma.gov.au/explore/features/prime-ministers/paul-keating : accessed 14 Sep 2021)
4. ↑^{4.04.14.24.34.44.54.64.7} Paul Keating. Before Office. (National Archives of Australia,https://www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/australias-prime-ministers/paul-keating/before-office : accessed 14 Sep 2021)
5. ↑^5.05.15.25.3 Paul Keating. Timeline. (National Archives of Australia,https://www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/australias-prime-ministers/paul-keating/timeline : accessed 14 Sep 2021)
6. ↑ Paul Keating. (National Archives of Australia,https://www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/australias-prime-ministers/paul-keating/during-office : accessed 14 Sep 2021)
7. ↑^7.07.17.2 Paul Keating. After Office. (National Archives of Australia,https://www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/australias-prime-ministers/paul-keating/after-office : accessed 14 Sep 2021)
8. ↑ Mickelburough, Peter.Leading Australians snub Order of Australia honours. Published online 25 Jan 2013. (Herald Sun,https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/leading-australians-snub-order-of-australia-honours/news-story/a9e01b52eb546fca0e6278b1efcce861 : accessed 14 Sep 2021)
9. ↑ Paul Keating. Fast Facts. (https://www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/australias-prime-ministers/paul-keating/fast-facts : accessed 14 Sep 2021)
10. ↑ Paul Keating. Partner. (National Archives of Australia,https://www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/australias-prime-ministers/paul-keating/partner : accessed 14 Sep 2021)
11. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Keating!," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Keating!&oldid=1039808709 (accessed September 14, 2021).

See Also:

• Wikidata:Item Q242654

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