The Heritage Council is inviting public input on the proposed inclusion in the State Register of Heritage Places of the 1920s West Leederville home that was the childhood residence of former Prime Minister Bob Hawke.
Each place on the State Heritage Register is unique and has diverse heritage values of State significance. Community and stakeholder engagement is a key part of the registration process.
Mr Hawke was Labor’s longest serving Prime Minister and the only national leader to be raised and educated in Western Australia. The three-bedroom Tate Street residence was home to the 23rd Prime Minister from 1939, when he was 10, until 1953 when he left home as a young adult. His parents continued to live there until 1981.
Purchased last year by the State Government, the Inter-War period home remains largely unaltered due to the foresight of the previous owner. It retains many original internal features including timber joinery and Australiana-themed stained glass, and still has an external outhouse and laundry.
Public consultation on the draft Register Entry and Assessment Documentation for the West Leederville property opened today (May 28) and can be viewed at https://www.dplh.wa.gov.au. The consultation closes on July 15, 2021.
As stated by Heritage Minister David Templeman:
“This property represents a unique and exciting political legacy for Western Australia. Heritage listing will ensure it remains a home for all Western Australians to cherish into the future.
“With only one other owner since the Hawke family, the integrity of the home has been well preserved, boasting the character features common to a brick and tile, Inter-War residence encapsulating family life in the late 1920s.
“One of Australia’s most revered Prime Ministers spent much of his childhood, and his schooling and politically formative years, in this home, and from modest suburban roots progressed to be one of the most successful reformist political leaders on the national and global stage.
“I encourage anyone with a background in political and cultural history or knowledge of the history of this property and the Hawke family, to make a submission and ensure the cultural heritage value of this place to Western Australia is appropriately captured.”
