Was the Hawke government 'the gold standard' for federal government in Australia? A stellar lineup of historians, social scientists, politicians and journalists sheds valuable new light on the policies, politics and personalities of the Hawke government and asks: What lessons can it offer in the art of reformist government? How do its legacies continue to shape Australian society? What light can it shed on urgent questions about social policy, income (in)equality, economic reform and fairness in Australian society?

Troy Bramston and Andrew Podger explain how Hawke masterfully managed the work of government and administration; Michelle Grattan and Meghan Hopper analyse how the government and prime minister dealt with the media; Frank Bongiorno shows how the Labor Party won four elections on the trot, and Marija Taflaga looks at how unprepared Hawke's opponents were for their period in the wilderness. Bruce Chapman and Liam Byrne discuss the competing legacies of the LaborUnion Accords of the 1980s; Meredith Edwards and Carolyn Holbrook demonstrate that social justice and health reform were still possible in the context of fiscal restraint; Marian Sawer shows how women's policy mattered, while Peter Yu recalls the major disappointments of the era for First Nations Australians. Gareth Evans and Ian Macphee offer their perspectives on the Hawke government's legacies and impact; Barrie Cassidy and Craig Emerson share their recollections of the Hawke office, and Joshua Black shows that memories of the Hawke era were not so rosy in its immediate aftermath.