Bob Hawke had been leader of the Labor Party since 3 February 1983, and
prime minister since the
1983 election, with Labor winning a record four elections under his leadership. The unexpectedly close win at the
1990 election, coupled with the deepening
economic recession, fuelled tensions within the government over economic policy, resulting in a breakdown of Hawke and Keating's previous "close cooperation". A re-energised
Liberal opposition led by
John Hewson, a qualified economist, gained ground in the opinion polls. Hawke had alienated key NSW Right powerbroker
Graham Richardson in late 1990 by denying him the transport and communications portfolio, causing Richardson to support Keating as a leadership alternative, before bluntly telling Hawke he no longer had the support of the Right. He also reneged on an agreement with Paul Keating, known as the
Kirribilli agreement, that he would hand over the leadership to him following the 1990 election. The final straw was when Hawke sacked Keating's successor as treasurer,
John Kerin for his perceived communication weaknesses in early December. Keating supporters began a campaign to undermine Hawke's leadership. ==Candidates==