Cabinet archives: $3.2m to highlight neglect of history

In the lead-up to the centenary of Federation on January 1, 2001, the Howard government funded an advertising campaign that embarrassed Australians.

John Howard and British PM Tony Blair during a reception in the House of Lords in London in July 2000. Picture: Michael Jones

Troy BramstonSENIOR WRITER

@TroyBramston

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12:00AMJanuary 01, 2021.

Updated 9:58AMJanuary 01, 2021

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In the lead-up to the centenary of Federation on January 1, 2001, the Howard government funded an advertising campaign that embarrassed Australians by highlighting their neglect of civic history, asking: “What kind of country would forget the name of its first prime minister?”

Cabinet papers released by the National Archives of Australia on Friday show that the government funded the $3.2m campaign, and other educational and celebratory initiatives, because there was shock that Australians knew so little about their political history. A survey revealed only 18 per cent of Australians knew who Edmund Barton was. Australians knew more about George Washington.

John Howard on his morning walk in London’s Mayfair in July 2000. Picture: Michael Jones

The funding agreed in March 2000 was additional to $46m already allocated to the National Council for the Centenary of Federation. Cabinet agreed there was to be no new funding, outside the advertising campaign, for 2000-01.

But in October 2000, Peter McGauran, minister for the Arts and the Centenary of Federation, appealed directly to John Howard for a further $7m for the Council and his department for “communications” and “publicity” purposes. Money was allocated out of existing funds.

In an interview with The Australian, Mr Howard recalled that like many Australians he was not taught much about Federation at school. “I had been a longstanding critic of the gaps in the teaching of history,” he said.

In July 2000, Mr Howard led a high-level delegation to London to mark the centenary of the passage of the Australian Constitution through the British parliament. The delegation included four predecessors: John Gorton, Gough Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser and Bob Hawke. They met with British prime minister Tony Blair and the Queen.

The Commonwealth’s major contribution to centenary commemorations was the $1bn Federation Fund, for “a range of infrastructure, cultural, heritage and community projects”.