Paul Keating

Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is a former Australian politician who served as the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1991 to 1996 as leader of the Labor Party. He had earlier served as Treasurerin the Hawke Government from 1983 to 1991.

Keating was born in Sydney, and left school at the age of 14. He joined the Labor Party at a young age, serving a term as state president of Young Labor and working as a research assistant for a trade union. Keating was elected to the House of Representatives at the age of 25, winning the Division of Blaxland at the 1969 federal election. He served as Minister for Northern Australia for three weeks in the dying days of the Whitlam Government. After Labor lost power in 1975, Keating held increasingly senior portfolios in the shadow ministries of Whitlam, Bill Hayden, and Bob Hawke. He came to be seen as the leader of the Labor Right faction in New South Wales, and developed a reputation as a talented parliamentary performer.

Gillie and Marc were asked to create a bust of him for La Salle Bankstown College.