The childhood Bankstown home of Paul John Keating, 24th Prime Minister of Australia, 1991-1996

This painting is from a series on houses with some connection with Australian politicians – either a childhood home, birthplace or current residence. It shows the childhood home of the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, Paul Keating, who grew up in the working-class suburb of Bankstown in southwestern Sydney. The humble fibro residence, typical of post-war Sydney suburbia, contrasts with the prominence Keating was later to achieve as a politician, orator and connoisseur of classical music and antique clocks, among other things. Painted in a deliberately austere and simplified manner, the house becomes a portent of possibility, an embodiment of the promise of opportunity from unassuming beginnings.

‘Keating came from humble beginnings as his Bankstown home illustrates and his journey to his current identity as a connoisseur of many things including art, architecture and town planning l am sure has been interesting. It would be hard to adjust to normal life after being Prime Minister with all the power and trappings that go with the job. Living in Sydney it is hard to ignore Mr Keating as he gets a fair amount of exposure in the media especially with his ideas on a major area of public land in the city of Sydney. He has always been an extremely confident person and l think he is perceived by a lot of people as being arrogant and pompous.’ Noel McKenna, 3 July 2011