Bob Hawke's eldest daughter, Sue Pieters-Hawke, is urging Australians not to ditch their high regard for her late father on the basis of explosive allegations made by her sister.

Key points: Bob Hawke's youngest daughter says she was raped three times in the 1980s by a good friend of her father

Bob Hawke's youngest daughter says she was raped three times in the 1980s by a good friend of her father She said in a court affidavit that Mr Hawke told her she could not go to the police

She said in a court affidavit that Mr Hawke told her she could not go to the police His eldest daughter argues the allegations should not change how Australians view her father

Rosslyn Dillon, Mr Hawke's youngest daughter, has reportedly claimed she was raped by former Victorian Labor MLC Bill Landeryou but was urged by her father to keep quiet to protect his political ambitions.

Ms Pieters-Hawke said she speaks regularly with her sister — and has not directly contradicted her claims — but said the allegations "may or may not" be tested in court.

Ms Dillon's claims are contained in an affidavit to the NSW Supreme Court, obtained by The New Daily, as part of a $4 million claim on her father's estate.

According to extracts of her 25-page affidavit cited by The New Daily, Ms Dillon claims Mr Landeryou, who died in February this year, sexually assaulted her three times in the 1980s.

Mr Landeryou, a good friend of Mr Hawke, had employed Ms Dillon in his office when he was a Victorian government minister.

After the third assault, which she said was at his house where she'd been staying in a spare room, she returned to her family's Sandringham home distraught.

"Bill (Landeryou) has raped me three times," she remembers telling her father, according to the affidavit.

"What? He touched you?" Mr Hawke replied.

"No, he forced me to have sex with him. I want to go to the police."

According to her affidavit, Mr Hawke then said: "You can't, I can't have any controversies right now. I am sorry but I am challenging for the leadership of the Labor Party. You can't go to the police."

Former prime minister Bob Hawke on holiday with his family. ( The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Library )

Ms Dillon says in her affidavit she was "shocked and hurt" by what her father had asked of her.

"I thought to myself I could not make any bigger sacrifice for the deceased's career if I had tried," her affidavit says. "He asked me to let the matter go and I did so, for him."

Ms Pieters-Hawke was on Monday asked about the legal spat when she attended an event commemorating what would have been her father's 90th birthday.

"I love and respect my sister. I disagree with her on this and apart from that I will be making no further comment," she said.

Asked to clarify what she meant when she said she disagreed with her sister, she said: "I disagree on the process of challenging the will."

"The family's estate is the family's business," Ms Pieters-Hawke said.

A Hawke family birthday party. ( Supplied: Ros Dillon )

As to whether her father had put his political ambitions ahead of her sister's wellbeing, she said: "I think that's the subject of an affidavit which may or may not be tested in court and I'm not going to comment on any of that."

Louis Pratt, the son of Blanche D'Alpuget and Mr Hawke's stepson, said Ms Dillon's claims came as a surprise to him and the family.

"It's news to me. We're all surprised, obviously. Because I know that Bob loved Rosslyn very much and I know what his character is, so it's surprising," he said.

Ms Dillon is challenging Mr Hawke's estate. She, Ms Pieters-Hawke, their brother Stephen and Mr Pratt were each offered $750,000 after the sale of Mr Hawke and Ms D'Alpuget's $14.5 million home.

Spotlight on early 1980s

Ms Dillon claims in her affidavit that at the time of the sexual assaults, Mr Landeryou held the industrial relations portfolio.

He was appointed to that ministry in December 1982, when Ms Dillon would have already been pregnant with her first child David, who was born on April 26.

Ms Dillon claims that a "few weeks" after the third sexual assault she discovered she was pregnant. Thinking it might be Mr Landeryou's child, she "immediately scheduled a termination".

After being told Mr Landeryou "can't have children", she assumed the child was her husband Matt's and did not proceed with the abortion.

"I am still haunted by the sexual assaults," she says in the affidavit.

"I feel I may have had a chance to get over these rapes if I was able to report the incidents to the police."

She claims Mr Landeryou had also promised to destroy her husband's career if she told her father of the assaults.

"I threatened to tell my father what he had done to me. Mr Landeryou threatened me, saying words to the effect: 'You'd better keep quiet or I'll ruin your husband. I'll plant him with smack. I'll send the cops to him'," her affidavit reads.

Asked whether the allegations might change the way people viewed her father, Ms Pieters-Hawke said: "I hope not. I think it would be foolish if they did and I think as many of you (would) be foolish if you contributed to that."

Bob Hawke with his second wife Blanche and daughter Rosslyn Dillon (right). ( Australian Story )

Labor leader Anthony Albanese was asked about the matter on radio on Monday morning.

"These are matters that are before the courts so it is inappropriate for me to comment on any specifics of the allegations which are there," Mr Albanese said.

"Suffice to say that in general terms, where there is an assault by any person to another, it should be reported and action should be taken."

Other than extracts published by The New Daily, the ABC has not independently sighted Ms Dillon's affidavit.

The NSW Supreme Court has listed the initial hearing for February 6 which, according to the court's usual guidelines, is the earliest date an application can be made for release of documents relating to the case, although not the affidavit in the first instance.

Ms Dillon's lawyer Michael Tiyce has not returned calls.