Father of the House

Get the inside story of one of Australia’s longest serving and most influential ministers in Federal Parliament.

Kim E. Beazley threw off the shackles of a poor childhood to become a teacher, a union leader and the member for Fremantle in the Federal Parliament between 1945 and 1977.

During his time in parliament he led the reform of Australian education and played a central role in the 1963 Yirrkala Bark Petition against bauxite mining on Yolngu land – a major step forward in the struggle for Indigenous land rights.

In his own words, Beazley gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the corridors of power, displaying the quiet determination and drive that led to his rise to Minister for Education under Whitlam. Beazley died in October 2007 and his son, Kim Beazley Junior, provides the book’s introduction with special insight into the man as father and parliamentarian.