$750,000 TO PRESERVE HAWKE HOUSE IN BORDERTOWN

Member for Barker Tony Pasin has welcomed the announcement that the Coalition Government will provide $750,000 to purchase and renovate the childhood home of former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, to protect its heritage value and commemorate his life and achievements.

Robert James Lee Hawke was born in 1929 at Hawke House in Bordertown, South Australia.

Member for Barker Tony Pasin said the conservation of Hawke House was important for Australia’s heritage and democratic history as well as creating a huge opportunity for the community of Bordertown.

“The acquisition and preservation of Bob Hawke’s early childhood home at Bordertown will help to underscore the important role the township of Bordertown and the broader Tatiara played in shaping the extraordinary Australian that Bob Hawke became,” Mr Pasin said.

“Very few Australian’s readily associate Bob Hawke with Bordertown or indeed South Australia despite the formative role South Australia and Bordertown played in his life.”

“This acquisition presents an amazing opportunity for the community of Bordertown to create an iconic facility that will celebrate Bob Hawke’s life and educate visitors regarding the significant role he played in the formation of post war Australia,” said Mr Pasin.

Hawke House will add to the homes of former Prime Ministers already preserved for the nation, including Ben Chifley’s home in Bathurst, New South Wales; John Curtin’s home in Cottesloe, Western Australia; and Joe and Enid Lyons’s family homes in Stanley and Devonport, Tasmania.

The Australian Government will now work with the local Bordertown community and the National Trust of South Australia to upgrade Hawke House and ensure its heritage value is protected so all Australians can understand and celebrate the Bob Hawke story.

$5 million will also be provided to the existing endowment fund of The General Sir John Monash Foundation to create an annual scholarship known as the Bob Hawke John Monash Scholar.

The Scholars, chosen by the Foundation, will study in any field deemed in the interests of the nation. The aim will be to support, for up to three years, talented young Australians with ability and leadership potential to develop their skills at leading overseas universities.

Media Contact: Charlotte Edmunds 8531 2466