John Howard and Bob Hawke waited more than 20 years to have a debate.
And when it finally happened in Sydney on Wednesday, the two former prime ministers seemed more like old friends than political foes, jovially trading barbs and insults.
The debate ranged from issues they mostly agreed upon, including the growing irrelevance of the states, to bones of contention, like levels of government debt.
When asked whether he was concerned about the current level of commonwealth debt, Mr Hawke reminisced about his first days as prime minister.
"When I became prime minister on March the fifth, 1983, the next day ... the secretary of the treasury, John Stone, came to see me and gave me the facts about what I'd inherited for the coming year was a deficit of nine billion dollars.
"The treasurer was a bloke called John Howard."
At one point during the moderated discussion, part of the annual Oxford Business Alumni dinner, Mr Hawke asked if he could "take a little time" to make a point.
"I'll give you an extension," Mr Howard said.
"He was always good like that," Mr Hawke joked.
"Especially when you got yourself into a tangle," Mr Howard shot back.
There were moments when the two leaders - who famously did not hold a live debate in the final weeks of the 1987 election campaign - were far more complimentary.
"Over very many years, I've had profound differences of opinion with John Howard, as is known, but I've always respected his integrity and I think we can say, John, we've always been good friends," Mr Hawke said.
Mr Howard reciprocated.
"We did disagree on a lot, we probably still do disagree on a bit but I mean, he was the best prime minister the Labor Party's ever produced, so I feel that very strongly."
And as for Mr Hawke's excuse for holding out on a debate in 1987?
"I think John was so taken up with having to sort out a bloke called Joh Bjelke-Petersen," he said.
"That was the fellow he really needed to debate with.
"I thought a debate between us was irrelevant."
Share
