Bill Hayden
Encyclopedia
William George "Bill" Hayden AC (born 23 January 1933) was the 21st Governor-General of Australia
. Prior to this, he represented the Australian Labor Party
in parliament; he was a minister in the government of Gough Whitlam
, and later became Leader of the Opposition, narrowly losing the 1980 federal election
to the Malcolm Fraser
-led Liberal
/National
coalition
.
, the son of an Irish American sailor. He was educated at Brisbane State High School
and served in the Queensland Police Force
from 1953 to 1961. He furthered his education through private study, completing an economics degree
at the University of Queensland
. Prior to the 1970s he was a self-described democratic socialist
.
, and in the 1961 federal election
he surprised everyone, including himself, by winning the House of Representatives
seat of Oxley
, defeating Don Cameron
, the Minister for Health in the Menzies
Liberal
government.
Hayden was a diligent member of parliament and in 1969 he was elected to the Opposition front bench. When Labor under Gough Whitlam
won the 1972 election
, Hayden became Minister for Social Security
, and in that capacity introduced the single mothers pension and Medibank
, Australia's first system of universal health insurance. On 6 June 1975 he succeeded Jim Cairns
as Treasurer
, a position he held until the Whitlam Government was dismissed by the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, on 11 November 1975.
When Labor lost the 1977 election
, Whitlam retired as leader and Hayden was elected to succeed him. His political views had shifted to the centre left, and he advocated economic policies which encompassed the private sector and the American alliance. At the 1980 election
he improved Labor's position but narrowly failed to defeat Malcolm Fraser
's Liberal government. At this election the popular union leader Bob Hawke
, known to harbour leadership ambitions, was elected to Parliament.
By 1982 it was evident that prime minister Fraser was manoeuvring to call an early election. Hawke began mobilising his supporters to challenge Hayden's leadership. On 16 July Hayden narrowly defeated Hawke's challenge in a party ballot, but Hawke continued to plot against Hayden. In December Labor failed to win the vital Flinders by-election
, further raising doubts about Hayden's ability to win an election.
On 3 February 1983, in a meeting in Brisbane
, Hayden's closest supporters told him that he must resign. He reluctantly accepted their advice. Hawke was then elected leader unopposed. Later that morning, unaware of the events in Brisbane, Fraser in Canberra
called a snap election for 5 March. At a press conference that afternoon Hayden, still chagrined, said that "a drover's dog could lead the Labor Party to victory at the present time". Labor under Hawke won the 1983 election
, and Hayden became Minister for Foreign Affairs, a position he held until 1988.
As Foreign Minister, Hayden advocated closer integration between Australia and its Asian neighbours. In a 1983 interview, he stated: "Australia is changing. We're an anomaly as a European country in this part of the world. There's already a large and growing Asian population in Australia and it is inevitable in my view that Australia will become a Eurasian country over the next century or two. Australian Asians and Europeans will marry another and a new race will emerge: I happen to think that's desirable." Asiaweek
, 19 August 1983.
as some consolation for his stepping down as leader and not having the chance to become the Prime Minister. The Queen of Australia's appointment of Hayden as the next Governor-General to succeed Sir Ninian Stephen
was publicly announced in mid-1988, and he immediately left parliament and severed all connections with the Labor Party. He assumed the post in early 1989, and served with discretion and distinction during the transition from the Hawke government to the Keating
government in December 1991. As a mark of respect for the service Hayden had rendered to the Australian Crown, the usual term of five years for a Governor-General was extended to seven years by The Queen of Australia.
Early in his term, he was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia
to fulfil the Governor-General's role as Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order. He had previously said he would never accept any honours.
The Governor-General is normally the Chief Scout of Australia. Bill Hayden declined the office on the grounds of his atheism, which was incompatible with the Scout Oath.
whom he believed to have helped engineer the 1983 leadership change. By the late 1990s Hayden joined the board of the magazine Quadrant
. In the debate preceding the 1999 republic referendum
, Hayden rejected the specific proposal and sided with the monarchists, stating he only supported direct election of a president.
Since retirement from the position of Governor General, Hayden has continued to contribute to public policy discussion in Australia. While on the board of Quadrant, which is a well-known monthly cultural and public policy magazine in Australia, he took time to lend personal support to the publication and wrote a tribute to the editor of Quadrant, P.P. McGuinness
, when McGuinness died in 2009. He has also continued to write opinion and comment pieces for other magazines and newspapers in Australia about current social, economic and political issues including foreign affairs.
and its Principal Companion (AC).
He received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Queensland
in 1990 for his distinguished contributions to Australian life. He was appointed to the Order of St John Australia and also received the Gwanghwa Medal of the Korean Order of Diplomatic Merit.
In 1996 he was recognised as the Australian Humanist
of the Year by the Council of Australian Humanist Societies
.
In 2007 at the 45th State Conference of the Queensland Branch of the Australian Labor Party
, Bill Hayden was made a Life Member of the party.
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
. Prior to this, he represented the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
in parliament; he was a minister in the government of Gough Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
, and later became Leader of the Opposition, narrowly losing the 1980 federal election
Australian federal election, 1980
Federal elections were held in Australia on 18 October 1980. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and 34 of the 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Malcolm Fraser with coalition partner the National Country Party led by Doug...
to the Malcolm Fraser
Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
-led Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
/National
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
coalition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
.
Early life
Bill Hayden was born in BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, the son of an Irish American sailor. He was educated at Brisbane State High School
Brisbane State High School
Brisbane State High School is a partially selective, co-educational, state secondary school, located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is a member of the Great Public Schools' Association of Queensland, and the Queensland Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association...
and served in the Queensland Police Force
Queensland Police
The Queensland Police Service is the law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto of "Firmness with Courtesy" was changed to "With Honour We Serve"...
from 1953 to 1961. He furthered his education through private study, completing an economics degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
at the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
. Prior to the 1970s he was a self-described democratic socialist
Democratic socialism
Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation...
.
Politics
He became active in the Labor PartyAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, and in the 1961 federal election
Australian federal election, 1961
Federal elections were held in Australia on 9 December 1961. All 122 seats in the House of Representatives, and 31 of the 60 seats in the Senate were up for election...
he surprised everyone, including himself, by winning the House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
seat of Oxley
Division of Oxley
The Division of Oxley is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The current division is the second to bear the name, and was created in 1949. The division is named after the Australian explorer, John Oxley...
, defeating Don Cameron
Donald Alastair Cameron
Donald Alastair Cameron OBE was an Australian politician and Minister for Health.Cameron was born in Ipswich, Queensland, and was educated at Ipswich Grammar School and Sydney University, where he graduated in arts and medicine. From 1927 to 1933 he was a medical officer at the Royal Prince Alfred...
, the Minister for Health in the Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
government.
Hayden was a diligent member of parliament and in 1969 he was elected to the Opposition front bench. When Labor under Gough Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
won the 1972 election
Australian federal election, 1972
Federal elections were held in Australia on 2 December 1972. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. The Liberal Party of Australia had been in power since 1949, under Prime Minister of Australia William McMahon since March 1971 with coalition partner the Country Party...
, Hayden became Minister for Social Security
Minister for Human Services (Australia)
The position of Minister for Human Services within Australian politics is currently held by the Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP. The Minister is responsible for a number of welfare agencies and administers her portfolio through the Department of Human Services and its component bodies:* Child Support...
, and in that capacity introduced the single mothers pension and Medibank
Medicare (Australia)
Medicare is Australia's publicly funded universal health care system, operated by the government authority Medicare Australia. Medicare is intended to provide affordable treatment by doctors and in public hospitals for all resident citizens and permanent residents except for those on Norfolk Island...
, Australia's first system of universal health insurance. On 6 June 1975 he succeeded Jim Cairns
Jim Cairns
James Ford "J. F." Cairns , Australian politician, was prominent in the Labor movement through the 1960s and 1970s, and was briefly Deputy Prime Minister in the Whitlam government...
as Treasurer
Treasurer of Australia
The Treasurer of Australia is the minister in the Government of Australia responsible for government expenditure and revenue raising. He is the head of the Department of the Treasury. The Treasurer plays a key role in the economic policy of the government...
, a position he held until the Whitlam Government was dismissed by the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, on 11 November 1975.
When Labor lost the 1977 election
Australian federal election, 1977
Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1977. All 124 seats in the House of Representatives, and 34 of the 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election....
, Whitlam retired as leader and Hayden was elected to succeed him. His political views had shifted to the centre left, and he advocated economic policies which encompassed the private sector and the American alliance. At the 1980 election
Australian federal election, 1980
Federal elections were held in Australia on 18 October 1980. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and 34 of the 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Malcolm Fraser with coalition partner the National Country Party led by Doug...
he improved Labor's position but narrowly failed to defeat Malcolm Fraser
Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
's Liberal government. At this election the popular union leader Bob Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
, known to harbour leadership ambitions, was elected to Parliament.
By 1982 it was evident that prime minister Fraser was manoeuvring to call an early election. Hawke began mobilising his supporters to challenge Hayden's leadership. On 16 July Hayden narrowly defeated Hawke's challenge in a party ballot, but Hawke continued to plot against Hayden. In December Labor failed to win the vital Flinders by-election
Flinders by-election, 1982
A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Flinders on 4 December 1982. This was triggered by the resignation of Liberal Party MP Phillip Lynch.The by-election was won by Liberal Party candidate Peter Reith...
, further raising doubts about Hayden's ability to win an election.
On 3 February 1983, in a meeting in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Hayden's closest supporters told him that he must resign. He reluctantly accepted their advice. Hawke was then elected leader unopposed. Later that morning, unaware of the events in Brisbane, Fraser in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
called a snap election for 5 March. At a press conference that afternoon Hayden, still chagrined, said that "a drover's dog could lead the Labor Party to victory at the present time". Labor under Hawke won the 1983 election
Australian federal election, 1983
Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 March 1983. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election, following a double dissolution...
, and Hayden became Minister for Foreign Affairs, a position he held until 1988.
As Foreign Minister, Hayden advocated closer integration between Australia and its Asian neighbours. In a 1983 interview, he stated: "Australia is changing. We're an anomaly as a European country in this part of the world. There's already a large and growing Asian population in Australia and it is inevitable in my view that Australia will become a Eurasian country over the next century or two. Australian Asians and Europeans will marry another and a new race will emerge: I happen to think that's desirable." Asiaweek
Asiaweek
Asiaweek, the English edition, was a news magazine focusing on Asia, published weekly by Asiaweek Limited, a subsidiary of Time Inc. Based in Hong Kong, it was established in 1975, and ceased publication with its December 7, 2001 issue due to a "downturn in the advertising market," according to...
, 19 August 1983.
Governor-General
After the 1987 federal election Hawke offered Hayden the post of Governor-GeneralGovernor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
as some consolation for his stepping down as leader and not having the chance to become the Prime Minister. The Queen of Australia's appointment of Hayden as the next Governor-General to succeed Sir Ninian Stephen
Ninian Stephen
Sir Ninian Martin Stephen, is a retired politician and judge, who served as the 20th Governor-General of Australia and as a Justice in the High Court of Australia.-Early life:...
was publicly announced in mid-1988, and he immediately left parliament and severed all connections with the Labor Party. He assumed the post in early 1989, and served with discretion and distinction during the transition from the Hawke government to the Keating
Paul Keating
Paul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
government in December 1991. As a mark of respect for the service Hayden had rendered to the Australian Crown, the usual term of five years for a Governor-General was extended to seven years by The Queen of Australia.
Early in his term, he was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
to fulfil the Governor-General's role as Chancellor and Principal Companion of the Order. He had previously said he would never accept any honours.
The Governor-General is normally the Chief Scout of Australia. Bill Hayden declined the office on the grounds of his atheism, which was incompatible with the Scout Oath.
Later life
Hayden's 1996 autobiography indicates that after Hayden left office in 1996 he was still irritated his treatment from some sections of the Labor Party. The book suggests that he had an animosity towards Paul KeatingPaul Keating
Paul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
whom he believed to have helped engineer the 1983 leadership change. By the late 1990s Hayden joined the board of the magazine Quadrant
Quadrant (magazine)
Quadrant is an Australian literary and cultural journal. The magazine takes a conservative position on political and social issues, describing itself as sceptical of 'unthinking Leftism, or political correctness, and its "smelly little orthodoxies"'. Quadrant reviews literature, as well as...
. In the debate preceding the 1999 republic referendum
Australian republic referendum, 1999
The Australian republic referendum held on 6 November 1999 was a two-question referendum to amend the Constitution of Australia. The first question asked whether Australia should become a republic with a President appointed by Parliament following a bi-partisan appointment model which had...
, Hayden rejected the specific proposal and sided with the monarchists, stating he only supported direct election of a president.
Since retirement from the position of Governor General, Hayden has continued to contribute to public policy discussion in Australia. While on the board of Quadrant, which is a well-known monthly cultural and public policy magazine in Australia, he took time to lend personal support to the publication and wrote a tribute to the editor of Quadrant, P.P. McGuinness
Padraic McGuinness
Padraic Pearse "Paddy" McGuinness AO was an Australian journalist, activist, and commentator. He was notable for the evolution over his lifetime of his political beliefs...
, when McGuinness died in 2009. He has also continued to write opinion and comment pieces for other magazines and newspapers in Australia about current social, economic and political issues including foreign affairs.
Honours
By virtue of being Governor-General, he was the Chancellor of the Order of AustraliaOrder of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
and its Principal Companion (AC).
He received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
in 1990 for his distinguished contributions to Australian life. He was appointed to the Order of St John Australia and also received the Gwanghwa Medal of the Korean Order of Diplomatic Merit.
In 1996 he was recognised as the Australian Humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
of the Year by the Council of Australian Humanist Societies
Council of Australian Humanist Societies
The Council of Australian Humanist Societies is the national umbrella organisation for Australian humanists. It is affiliated with the International Humanist and Ethical Union...
.
In 2007 at the 45th State Conference of the Queensland Branch of the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, Bill Hayden was made a Life Member of the party.
Styles and honours
- Mr William Hayden (1933–61)
- Mr William Hayden MP (1961–72)
- The Hon William Hayden MP (1972–88)
- The Hon William Hayden (1988–89)
- His Excellency the Hon William Hayden AC (1989–96)
- The Hon William Hayden AC (1996–present)