C. J. Coventry

In June 2021 the Australian Journal of Politics and History published his work on Bob Hawke, "The 'Eloquence' of Robert J. Hawke: United States informer, 1973-79," which propounded the long-held suspicion that the former Prime Minister, Labor Party leader and ACTU President had worked for the United States Government in the 1970s. Coventry's article demonstrated by using documentary evidence that Hawke had handed considerable amounts of inside-information to US officials, undermining the causes he was publicly committed to. It attracted domestic and international media attention, including the front page of The Australian newspaper and as the lede weekend article on the Guardian Australia.[11][12][13][14][15] Within a fortnight the article was the most read article in the Journal's near-seven decade history.[16] Journalist Jeff Sparrow said of Coventry's work: "Not all of Coventry’s evidence is new. But, assembled as a package, it deals a blow to the Hawke legend. Everyone loves a larrikin. Nobody likes a snitch."[17] It was subsequently reported that the publication of the article had prevented Labor Leader, Anthony Albanese, from rebranding himself as Australia's next Hawke-style consensus politician.[18] The article also named numerous other informers, including John Ducker, Billy Sneddon, Bill Hayden, Rupert Murdoch, David Combe and Don Willesee.[19]

The article was immediately rebuked by Hawke-Keating era politicians. A former ALP President, Stephen Loosely, said it was "nonsense" and "For someone half a century later to label these people informants, when they can't defend themselves, simply doesn't hold water.".[20] Another former Labor politician, Paul Everingham, said the informer argument was "balls".[21] Hawke's authorised biographer wrote that the label "informant" or "spy" was "misleading" because Hawke had a close relationship with British officials as well.[22]