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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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time
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040389
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04038900.020
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1990-09-22
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WORLD, Page 35World NotesAUSTRALIATrue Confessions
It was a weird political moment, even by Australia's raucous
standards. There was Prime Minister Bob Hawke on national
television last week, wiping a tear from his eye and telling his
countrymen that yes, he had been unfaithful to Hazel, his wife of
33 years. In a paroxysm of soul baring, he reviewed his boozy past
(Hawke was once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for
beer drinking) and his decision nine years ago to go cold turkey.
"It was getting to the stage where, at the end of the day, I was
looking forward too much to a drink."
None of this was news to Australians -- or anyone who has read
Blanche d'Alpuget's frank biography of the gregarious trade
unionist whose back-slapping mateyness helped make him Australia's
most popular politician. But why did Hawke choose this moment to
make a prime-time confession? Supporters think Hawke was trying to
make up for insulting media play of his wife's recent face-lift.
Opponents had a more political explanation: to distract attention
from the effect rising interest rates and a soaring deficit have
had on his standing in the polls.