Information Update

JOHN CURTIN PRIME MINISTERIAL LIBRARY CURTIN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY INFORMATION UPDATE Ms Sally Warhaft and the Honourable Julia Gillard. JULY 2016 Image: Alana Blowfield. 17th JCPML Anniversary Lecture presented by Ms Sally Warhaft by Emertius Professor David Black Author and journalist Sally Warhaft delivered an extraordinarily appropriate 17th JCPML Anniversary Lecture. Her lecture was to assess what our 14th Prime Minister might have made of the 2016 election campaign. The lecture came three days before polling day, which brought to an end what was widely assessed as one of the most uninspiring federal election campaigns in living memory. Emertius Professor David Black. Image: Alana Blowfield. In setting the scene for her lecture, Sally focused on Australia’s “political culture and the changing always used responding to things”. nature of election campaigns”. The consequence in her view was: “Eight long weeks without a Sally thought it was likely Curtin would have memorable speech, without a proper debate, with found today’s leader debates incomprehensible; in tired campaign journalists hopping on and off buses particular broadcasting the first debate on pay- and planes…all this sameness”. television only, thus “deliberately excluding…70% of the potential audience”. In Curtin’s day by contrast “leaders had a lot more time to themselves, to think, to get advice, to shape By contrast: “Curtin presented himself at every their messages”. Taking time out she contended opportunity as a national leader… surely that would was to Curtin, time “to think and reflect, time to mean offering your message to as many people as think and talk with trusted advisors…time was not possible, every time?” Make tomorrow better. visit john.curtin.edu.au Curtin played to his strengths; he was “masterful in his use of media, especially radio but also print” and this arose from the fact that “he was himself a journalist who worked as an editor and a freelance writer”. In this context “he brought every bit of his experience with the press to work for him in public office”. Sally focused on his 1943 campaign policy speech delivered by radio, and his famous broadcast to the American people in March 1942, affirming that: “Australia is the last bastion between the West Coast of America and the Japanese. If The Honourable Julia Gillard. Image: Alana Blowfield. Australia goes, the Americas are wide open”. She also noted Curtin’s twice daily briefings with the press, Lofty traditions: signing the John where he showed journalists “highly confidential information Curtin Gallery lift about the war, and got journalists to see things from his point of The John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library Foundation view”. Patron, the Honourable Gough Whitlam and his wife Margaret started a tradition of signing the John Curtin Gallery lift. The Sally’s viewpoint was blunt Honourable Paul Keating added his signature while Patron and and to the point: “The cordiality the current Patron, the Honourable Julia Gillard has continued and informality of those off-the- the tradition. record briefings would obviously not be possible now in the While attending the 2016 JCPML Anniversary Lecture in late modern era of gotcha politics”. June, Ms Gillard signed the Gallery lift inside panel, which would be one of the more unusual places a former Australian Prime Minister has been asked to sign their name. It is interesting that Sally considers Curtin’s most useful skill was “as a speaker”. He was not “a Deakin, Hughes, Menzies elections and coming perilously or Keating… not in the top tier of close to losing a fourth in 1940. She felt Malcolm Turnbull was Australian orators” but he was someone who people would think very well practised. This happened during what she of as a gifted speaker, but his described as his toughest battle offering at the campaign launch In Sally’s major published of all; his battle with alcoholism. “was lacklustre and work Well May We Say: The In Sally’s view, Curtin’s capacity entirely forgettable, like most of Speeches that made Australia, to overcome substantial this campaign”. the two offerings from Curtin are difficulties was because he was broadcast speeches. In certain always completely himself, what The latter part of Sally’s address respects “his disposition lent Sally regards as the “one certain was centred on a subject near to itself more obviously to being a ingredient” for being a great her heart, namely the position persuasive writer. Yet when he orator. of women in politics and more stepped on the podium, inside broadly in society itself. She or out, his words captured Relating this back to the recent does not overstate her case everyone’s attention”. election campaign, her conclusion —in her view Curtin: “was no was that Curtin as a speaker saint when it came to women’s Sally posed that Curtin used “was far ahead of the leaders liberation…He was conservative speech to build moral authority, today” and that as orators they and resisted women moving into and “that authority was there demonstrate that “most of us the workforce, particularly as a when he and the nation most can learn to be competent younger man”. needed it”. This was despite being speakers—but to be great is rare a defeated candidate in three indeed”. However, he did preside over Ms Sally Warhaft presenting the JCPML Anniversary Lecture. Image: Alana Blowfield. some important policies for the mindset may not be that campaigning?” women – the first female different to Curtin’s in the end: representatives in federal an assumption that women will She noted that Curtin wasn’t parliament “were elected simply keep on doing everything afraid to note the achievements under his watch–and it was his they’re doing and putting up with of the opposition and he government which introduced the it because that is what they do. concentrated on his own widows pension and a range of government’s record rather than other social security measures”. “Until political parties stop making negative attacks. When tinkering, bribing and pretending, he died Robert Menzies and Yet several decades later Sally and start matching their rhetoric Arthur Fadden carried his coffin. told her listeners: “If things don’t with sweeping change their words change, I will have to watch my about equality for women will In Sally’s view what Australia daughter work harder, think come to nothing”. needs is “two politicians with the herself less entitled and be paid famous humility of John Curtin less than her brother. She will In conclusion Sally accepted at once—one on each side of the also collect less superannuation. that: “I can’t really say what despatch box – to agree and insist These are massive structural and John Curtin would make of this on some new ground rules”. cultural issues, which neither campaign… he would be amazed party is taking seriously… at the society we live in, the wealth, the technology and “For all the talk about women and the progress. And he would be th equality right now, it’s hard mightily perplexed at how we Watch the 17 JCPML to detect policy or breakthrough put it all to use. Why should Anniversary Lecture at policy going on at the moment we corner ourselves with such http://john.curtin.edu.au/ that are much more substantial a stilted disingenuous and events/speeches/warhaft.html than those Curtin achieved. And monotonous style of political John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library Curtin University, Kent St, Bentley WA 6102 GPO Box U1987 Perth WA 6845 Tel: +61 8 9266 4205 Fax: +61 8 9266 4185 Email: [email protected] Web: john.curtin.edu.au Curtin University is a trademark of Curtin University of Technology CRICOS Provider Code 00301J.

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