There is no doubt that this government and this country are benefiting from the reforms that we brought in the 1980s, and that couldn't have been done without the co-operation of the trade union movement.

Although Keating was the main architect of the government's economic policies he took advantage of Hawke's declining popularity to plan a leadership challenge. By the time he entered politics he was a self-described agnostic. Hawke's leadership was further damaged as a consequence of the new Liberal Leader John Hewson releasing Fightback! a detailed proposal for sweeping economic change including a goods and services tax and deep cuts to government spending and personal income tax in November 1991.

He is to date Labor's longest-serving Prime Minister and Australia's third-longest-serving Prime Minister. In total he led Labor to victory at four federal elections in 1983 1984 1987 and 1990 thus making him the most successful Labor leader in history.