“The policies of the Hawke/Keating government had a positive impact on Australian society.” Discuss.

Candidates are required to offer a considered and balanced review of the impact of the policies of the Hawke/Keating government on Australian society. Candidates may agree, partly agree or disagree with the statement. There may be different approaches to this question for example, candidates may discuss the positive and negative impacts on different social groups or they may discuss whether social, economic or political impacts were greater. Examples of economic policies may include an increase in wages and pensions, providing income support and the reduction of child poverty. Social developments may focus on the gains made by women following the Equal Opportunities Act, the establishment of a Child Support Agency and a range of programmes to help the most vulnerable in Australian society including the homeless, aboriginals, the elderly and refugees. Candidates may argue that although these policies aimed to improve Australian society they did not fully resolve all social issues.