The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre – University of South Australia

The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre is a dynamic and eclectic Centre devoted to generating ideas and solutions to achieve cohesive, sustainable societies. We engage national and international speakers to contribute to a free events programme including lectures and art exhibitions on topics ranging from human rights, science and arts, to environment and more.

2018 continues its impressive lineup of prominent speakers, offering audiences the opportunity to be inspired by some of the world’s most exciting and contemporary thinkers, writers and artists.  The Kerry Packer Civic Gallery also continues to offer a vibrant programme showcasing up and coming local talent, as well as international rising stars.

Registrations are already open for a number of events, including our second Art Talk for 2018, co-presented with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. ASO Composer-in-Association, Catherine Milliken will be in conversation with ASO Concertmaster Natsuko Yoshimoto, and Soprano Jessica Aszodi, discussing the place of the composer and new work in the orchestral space in the 21st century. Later in the year, Vincent Ciccarello, ASO Managing Director will be in conversation with Arts Consultant & Digital Entrepreneur Kate Gould and Pro Vice Chancellor: Education, Arts and Social Science at UniSA, Professor Joanne Cys where they will discuss Art and Place – why the two are inextricably linked.

Catherine Milliken, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Composer-in-Association

In April, the Hawke Centre will co-present a discourse programme in conjunction with Tasting Australia – a festival celebration of food heroes, food and wine in Adelaide, South Australia.

Renowned adman, Bill Muirhead AM, will be featured in the Hawke Centre programme in April.  South Australia’s 25^th Agent General, Bill joined Saatchi & Saatchi in 1972 where he worked on campaigns for British Airways, Qantas, Toyota, BP and News International. In 1994 he moved to New York as Chief Executive and President of Saatchi & Saatchi Adverting Worldwide. In 2013, he became a Member (AM) in the General Division of the Order of Australia, for significant service to the community of South Australia through the promotion of international trade

As part of South Australia’s History Festival, the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery will showcase: South Sea Islander and Australian Reflections on ‘Blackbirding’. This exhibition reflects on aspects of the ‘labour traffic’ of South Sea Islanders to the cotton and sugar plantations of Queensland over the period of 1863 to 1904, known as Blackbirding. Over 50,000 workers were ‘recruited’, often by deception or force, and about 25% died during their contracts. In conjunction with the exhibition will be a forum reflecting on the contributions of those Island workers to the economy and infrastructure, the experience of descendants of Islander workers who stayed in this country – the Australian South Sea Islanders – and the experience of seasonal workers in Australian today.

South Sea Islander and Australian Reflections on ‘Blackbirding’

Coinciding with SA Refugee Week in June, the Gallery will show students’ artwork – from primary to tertiary level – as part of the annual SA Refugee Week Youth Poster Exhibition. The work aims to celebrate the UN International Refugee Convention by communicating how refugees are welcomed, become part of, or contribute to the Australian “family”.

Artist: Ebony Mitchell, University of South Australia

The Hawke Centre will be presenting Hannah Gadsby in June, an award-winning Australian comedian whose droll delivery, delightful wordplay and heart-breakingly funny, self-deprecating observations have delighted audiences all over the world.

The 2018 exhibition programme is now available from the Hawke Centre’s website – with the second half of the year, examining themes such as arts in prison, Japanese architecture, as well as exhibitions curated in partnership with the University’s School of Art, Architecture and Design Industrial Design students.

Throughout the Hawke Centre’s 20-year history, it has remained committed to presenting a programme that promotes an engaging and interdisciplinary dialogue with their audience.  Jacinta Thompson, Executive Director says that there are many more events to be added to the 2018 Hawke Centre calendar covering themes such as palliative care, space exportation and literature.

It is Thompson’s aim that this year’s programme will provide the audience with the knowledge and means to navigate some of the world’s more complicated issues, and the tools to meet our shared responsibilities to Strengthen our Democracy; Value our Diversity and Build our Future ­– which are the Centre’s fundamental themes.

Find out more about the Hawke Centre and keep up-to-date with its latest programmes here.

Catch up on recent events via podcasts and videos on the Hawke Centre’s ‘Relive our Events’ page – including 2017 Amnesty Oration delivered by Jane Caro, and Building Nuclear Peace: Deterrents, Disarmament and the UN Ban Treaty.