Curtin's Cast Episode 50 - 1 April 2026 - Prof Frank Bongiorno on Bob Hawke

This week, Nick Dyrenfurth and Kos Samaras are joined by arguably Australia’s finest historian and public intellectual, Professor Frank Bongiorno, for our landmark 50th episode — and a big question at the heart of Australian politics: Is Bob Hawke really the “gold standard”… or a myth we can’t escape? Our conversation is anchored in the new book Gold Standard? Remembering the Hawke Government, edited by Frank, Carolyn Holbrook and Joshua Black — a major reassessment of Hawke’s record and reputation. We unpack: ▪️ Why Hawke still dominates how we judge governments ▪️ What actually made the Hawke model work ▪️ Why reform feels harder today ▪️ Whether Labor is misreading its own history What matters now is what Albanese Labor can realistically learn from Hawke — and what his record tells students of Australian politics about the limits and possibilities of reform today.