National Observer Home > No. 43 - Summer 2000 > Book Review

Gareth Evans

by Keith Scott

Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1999, pp. 398 and index.

The author was from 1990 to 1993 media adviser to Gareth Evans, and currently works for the Australian Agency for International Development.

Gareth Evans came from a working-class background but being a highly intelligent student performed well at both his schools and at Melbourne and Oxford Universities. Despite his intelligence, he was often criticised for his poor judgement and "undisciplined tongue", and he was nicknamed "Biggles" for his rash behaviour as Attorney-General, when for example he caused a R.A.A.F. jet to fly over parts of Tasmania in order to gather photographic evidence to support the Commonwealth's application for a High Court injunction to restrain the State of Tasmania from building a dam.

Evans' problems hence had more to do with his personality than with his intelligence. He had frequent "tantrums," and Scott notes, "Sometimes Evans' temper tantrums were inexcusable and potentially damaging. On one morning outside a Sydney hotel he spent several minutes bawling out a subordinate so loudly that he attracted an audience of people who had been on their way to work and stopped in the street to watch." Similarly, his behaviour towards foreign officials was often inconsistent with his duties as Foreign Minister. Scott cites a meeting in Malaysia in 1991: "'Geez', expostulated Senator Evans, 'we're not here to draft the f...... Koran.' At that point the Malaysian Foreign Minister rolled his eyes and drew his finger across his windpipe."

Subsequently Mr. Bob Hawke was to say of Evans, perhaps generously, "I would not rank him high as a domestic political operator. He just offends a lot of people unnecessarily. He gives the impression to people of arrogance which is not altogether justified. But he conveys that impression, and part of the mechanism of conveying it is this shortness of fuse and abuse of people."

Evans' tenures as Attorney-General and Minister for Foreign Affairs were controversial. In 1994 and 1995 he made known his wish to be appointed to the High Court, preferably as Chief Justice. This appointment also would have been highly controversial, and it was reported of the existing High Court judges that "there was some concern among them that he had not practised for many years". Mr. Keating declined to support the appointment of Evans, and it can hardly be doubted that his decision was appropriate. Apart from other considerations, Evans had become an admirer of Lionel Murphy (whom Scott states he "came to idolise"). Indeed, he described Murphy's death as "one of the great Australian tragedies". Also, there was something in Evans' manner, which could perhaps be perceived as sleazy, which would not have assisted his acceptance as a judge.

Scott notes Evans' wish to become Prime Minister, and how his colleagues came to see this as inappropriate. In June 1999 the Commonwealth government supported his candidature for the Director-Generalship of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, but here also he was unsuccessful.

Scott's biography suffers from the defect that he, Scott, obviously admires Evans, having been a member of his staff and doubtless sharing many of his views. As a result, the book is not objective. In this it shares a fault of many recent Australian biographies which have been more or less partisan (sometimes in favour of their subject, such as Holt's biography of Manning Clark, and sometimes against, such as Marr's biography of Barwick). In the result a fair and accurate assessment is not obtained.

This difficulty is particularly acute in regard to Evans. Evans' political career was highly controversial, but his role as Foreign Minister has been greatly praised by Labor Party sources. Yet it is clear that he made many comments that were not well-received by leaders of other countries or by critics within Australia. Only a very careful and unbiased examination of his role should show the extent to which he has produced favourable or unfavourable consequences for Australia.

A further biography of Evans would hence be welcome.

R.M. Pearce

National Observer No. 43 - Summer 2000