Hawke would have been troubled by the claims and may have reflected, as Dillon suggests, they would have hurt him politically. They most certainly would have inflicted a massive political cost. However, there are inconsistencies with aspects of Dillon’s account, both in terms of what was supposed to have happened when, where Landeryou lived and whether he could have children (he could). Loading Hawke was more than just the larrikin he was made out to be by his biographer (lover and later second wife) Blanche D’Alpuget. He was a serial philanderer, prone to lecherous behaviour and a bad drunk. When Hawke was named father of the year in 1971, it surprised friends and colleagues. His first wife, Hazel, protested by moving out of the family home for a short time, staying at a nearby motel. However, we should treat Dillon’s claims with at least some caution. As to whether any behaviour on the part of Landeryou extended to rape will always remain in doubt because we have little more than her own sworn statements to the NSW Supreme Court. While there is no reason to doubt the credibility of those statements at first blush, they are unlikely to be tested under cross-examination, and Landeryou's version of events is unlikely to ever be known.

If the claims are true, it leaves Hawke’s reputation in tatters, besmirches his legacy as a Labor hero, and detracts, perhaps fatally, from his legacy as the ALP’s longest serving and most successful prime minister. If true, he put his own ambition before the safety of his daughter and demanded his daughter ignore serious assault so he could protect his political position. At the same time, he would have been party to covering up three incidents of serious sexual assault. It’s hard to think of a more damning series of allegations. Rosslyn, Hazel and Bob Hawke leave a press conference in 1987. Credit:Sebastian Costanzo Hawke’s response is denied to us and any response from his wife at the time is also absent. It’s hard to see D’Alpuget buying into it and, beyond Pieters-Hawke's comment at the weekend saying something (unspecified) was known at the time, she is not likely to add fuel to a fire that damages her family’s name. The social situation has changed since these incidents were alleged to have taken place. Now, any accuser is more likely to be believed than they might have been in the early 1980s and this is a change for the better. However, the complexity of this story – and the doubts already raised about some claims – should add to any natural caution.

Dillon’s personal story is one of addiction and hurt. She suffers from the consequences of her heroin use. It’s also true she should have the right to have her story told. If true, the allegations should not be covered up, even now, some 36 years later. We should never hide sexual abuse, no matter how historical. We are insisting the churches and other institutions face up to the crimes of the past and the political class should be held to the same standard (indeed individuals should be treated similarly). Loading The claims of Dillon might change the view of a number of Australians – whether they consider them carefully or not – or they might make people think this is all a family matter better left unaired. Perhaps, the facts will not matter and people will let their prejudices determine what they might want to believe. One thing that should be considered is whether any of this should detract from Hawke’s record as

a politician and policy reformer – something that stands with the best of our national leaders.

Perhaps these can be compartmentalised – as many people say should happen in respect of the

films of Woody Allen and Roman Polanksi, both men the subject of child sex claims.

Whatever the facts, the legacy of Hawke is tarnished and the fairness of that cannot be found or measured. Hawke was always worse in respect of his personal behaviour than was known or

believed. Whether he deserves what’s happening now is something we will never know for sure. Dennis Atkins is a Brisbane-based writer and commentator who worked in Canberra through the years of Hawke as prime minister, both as a senior press gallery member and a ministerial staffer.