Bruce Hawker
{{Short description|Australian political strategist}}
{{Use Australian English|date=October 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Bruce Hawker
| image = Bruce Hawker Picture.jpg
| alt = A Caucasian male in his late fifties wearing black pinstripe suit, white shirt and blue decorated tie.
| caption = Hawker in 2010
| birth_name = Bruce Hawker
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1955|8|18}}
| birth_place = Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education = University of Queensland
University of New South Wales
| occupation = Political pundit, political writer, political consultant, political advisor
| alias =
| title =
| party = Australian Labor Party
| family =
| spouse =
| partner =
| children =
| relatives =
| nationality = Australian
| years_active= 1982 -
| credits =
| agent =
| website = http://www.candcgroup.com.au/
}}
Bruce Hawker (born 18 August 1955) is an Australian political strategist, commentator and chairman of Campaigns & Communications Group, which he founded in January 2011.{{cite web | url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/labor-pr-guru-bruce-hawker-spins-off-to-new-campaign-venture/story-fn59niix-1225983446277 | title=Independents to discuss Cabinet reform with Labor strategist Bruce Hawker | author=Kelly, Joe |work=The Australian | date=7 January 2011 | accessdate=12 November 2011}}
Along with David Britton, he was the chairman and founding member of Hawker Britton until his resignation in January 2011.{{cite web | url=http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/bruce-hawker-38704.html | title=Bruce Hawker | work=The Drum Opinion | publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | accessdate=22 April 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110401061125/http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/bruce-hawker-38704.html | archive-date=1 April 2011 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/labor-pr-guru-bruce-hawker-spins-off-to-new-campaign-venture/story-fn59niix-1225983446277 | title=Labor PR guru Bruce Hawker spins off to new campaign venture | work=The Australian | date=7 January 2011 | accessdate=22 April 2011 | author=Kelly, Joe}} Hawker was the chief of staff to New South Wales premier Bob Carr, a position he held for nine years before resigning to establish Hawker Britton in April 1997.{{cite web | url=http://www.hawkerbritton.com/images/heritage/HB%20establishement%20articles%20(Mar%2097)%201.pdf | title=Carr's top two advisers resign | work=The Daily Telegraph | accessdate=22 April 2011 | author=English, Ben}} Hawker has played a key role as a strategist on a series of election campaigns for Kevin Rudd; Premier Carr; South Australian Premier Mike Rann and Queensland Premiers Peter Beattie and Anna Bligh. In 2013, he was appointed Prime Minister Rudd's political director.{{cite web | url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/bruce-hawker-in-strategy-hot-seat/story-fn59niix-1226671097110 | title=Bruce Hawker in Strategy Hot Seat | author=Kelly, Joe | work=The Australian | date=28 June 2013 | accessdate=2 December 2013}} He is the author of The Rudd Rebellion: The Campaign to Save Labor, published in November 2013 by Melbourne University Press.{{cite book | url=https://www.mup.com.au/items/129374 | title=The Rudd Rebellion | author=Hawker, Bruce | year=2013 | publisher=Melbourne University Publishing |location=Carlton, Melbourne |isbn=9780522864496 | publication-date=2013 | accessdate=2 December 2013}}
Career
Hawker has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Queensland and a law degree from the University of New South Wales.{{cite web | url=http://www.hawkerbritton.com/BruceHawker/6/Overview.html | publisher=Hawker Britton | title=Government Relations, Government Lobbying, Lobbyists, Campaigns, Strategies Consultancy | accessdate=22 April 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215222424/http://www.hawkerbritton.com/BruceHawker/6/Overview.html | archive-date=15 February 2011 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url= http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/txt/s2951559.htm | title=Panelist: Bruce Hawker |work=Q&A |publisher=ABC TV |location=Australia | accessdate=30 November 2011}}
= Hawker Britton =
In 1997, Hawker and David Britton resigned from their positions as Chief of Staff and Chief of Communications, respectively, to start Hawker Britton. When asked to comment about Hawker's resignation, Bob Carr joked, "After all, nine years is a long time to spend in a political office."{{cite web |url=http://www.hawkerbritton.com/images/heritage/HB%20establishement%20articles%20(Mar%2097)%202.pdf |title=Senior staffers quit Carr office | work=The Australian |accessdate=22 April 2011 |author=Nason, David}} In 1999, Hawker Britton outgrew its office in The Rocks, relocating to a heritage post office building in Millers Point. It now has at least six Australian offices; an office in Wellington; another in New Zealand; and three international offices in Washington, D.C., London and Shanghai.
Following the 2010 federal election, a hung parliament resulted. Hawker led the negotiations with independents Bob Katter, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott which secured the incumbent Labor government led by Julia Gillard a second term.{{cite web | url=http://www.news.com.au/features/federal-election/idependents-to-discuss-cabinet-reform-with-labor-strategist-bruce-hawker/story-fn5taogy-1225910233959 | title=Independents to discuss Cabinet reform with Labor strategist Bruce Hawker |work=News.com.au| date=26 August 2010 | accessdate=22 April 2011}}{{cite web | url=http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/election2010/7957575/labor-to-form-government | title=Labor to form government | publisher=ninemsn.com.au | date=2010-09-07 | accessdate=23 April 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911001033/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/election2010/7957575/labor-to-form-government | archive-date=11 September 2010 | url-status=dead }}
=Rudd Government=
In June 2013, Hawker was appointed Prime Minister Rudd's political adviser, a position he held until the Government's defeat in the 2013 federal election in September 2013. Following the election, Melbourne University Publishing published his campaign diaries, The Rudd Rebellion: The Campaign to Save Labor. News Corp Australia hired political editor Col Allan from New York specifically for election-related coverage.{{cite web |url=http://inside.org.au/col-allan-murdochs-100-million-man/ |title=Col Allan, Murdoch's $100 million man |last1=Tiffen |first1=Rodney |date=15 August 2013 |publisher=Swinburne Institute |issn=1837-0497 |accessdate=17 September 2014}} A review of the press coverage commissioned by the Labor Party found that The Daily Telegraph published negative press at double the rate of competitor Fairfax.{{cite web |url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/news-corp-bias-against-kevin-rudd-showed-up-in-independent-study-diary-reveals-20131106-2x1ig.html|title= News Corp bias against Kevin Rudd showed up in independent study, diary reveals |last1=Kenny |first1=Mark |date= 6 November 2014 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |accessdate=17 September 2014}} Against the odds, the Labor campaign directed by Hawker resulted in Labor retention of 55 seats when 30 seats was the predicted outcome.{{Cite report |author=Brenton Holmes |date=22 January 2014|title=Federal Election 2013: issues, dynamics, outcomes |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1314/FedElection2013 |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia |accessdate=17 September 2014}} The campaign ensured that Labor avoided political annihilation and saw every cabinet minister returned to parliament.{{rp|207}}{{self-published inline|date=July 2017}}
=Campaigns & Communications Group=
Hawker is a regular contributor to the media, writing opinion pieces and editorials for The Sydney Morning Herald and frequently appearing in interviews on Sky News and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. When it was suggested that he was resigning from Hawker Britton due to the thinning out of state Labor governments, Hawker dismissed these suggestions saying, "We've always worked on the basis that Labor governments will come and Labor governments will go, we've always tried to assist in the election of Labor governments, but we are realistic and pragmatic enough to understand no government lasts forever."{{cite web| url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/lobbying-founder-bruce-hawker-branches-out-on-his-own/story-fn59niix-1225963000687 | title=Lobbying founder Bruce Hawker branches out on his own | author= Salusinszky, Imre | work=The Australian | date=30 November 2010 | accessdate=23 April 2011}}
See also
{{stack|{{portal|Politics|Australia}}}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Wikiquote}}
- [http://www.brucehawker.com Bruce Hawker Blog],
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20111029163842/http://www.candcgroup.com.au/ Campaigns and Communications Group]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawker, Bruce}}
Category:Australian political commentators
Category:Australian political consultants
Category:Australian political writers
Category:Australian public servants
Category:University of Queensland alumni
Category:University of New South Wales Law School alumni
Category:Australian businesspeople