Hands that shook Australia

First Nations readers are advised this article contains names and images of deceased people.

News stories have highlighted the importance of the handshake in American presidential meetings – President Trump is said to have a deliberately firm, aggressive handshake. So while we’re talking about shaking hands, let’s look at some handshakes, points, touches and other gestures that made a statement in Australian history.

The Lizard of Oz

Royal protocol is strict. Bow or curtsey, conservative dress, call her ‘Ma’am’ and never, ever touch. When Prime Minister Paul Keating laid a gentle hand on the Queen’s back in 1992, the British press had a field day. ‘The Lizard of Oz!’ one headline screamed, with royalists up in arms about the ‘disrespect’ the PM had shown. Keating was merely trying to direct the Queen towards Dame Pattie Menzies, but some suspected a deliberate motive. Keating’s republicanism came to the forefront during the Queen’s visit, and many suspected his casual disregard for the protocol was designed to draw attention to what he saw as the anachronism of the monarchy.

‘The Handshake’

The value of a firm handshake is well documented, but sometimes, it can go too far. In 2004, one day before the federal election, Mark Latham, then Leader of the Opposition, arrived at an ABC studio in Sydney. He crossed paths with Howard and shook his hand in a very domineering, aggressive way. Latham claimed it was normal, perhaps a little firm, and ‘revenge’ for Howard apparently squeezing Latham’s wife’s hand too hard at a press function. Howard, in the years since, has suggested it was very deliberate, a way of physically dominating the shorter man. The handshake is sometimes said to have cost Latham the election, a charge he has vehemently denied in the years since.

Gough & Vincent

Over a decade later, another Indigenous player’s expression of pride in his heritage sparked fierce national debate.

Sydney Swan Adam Goodes, having heard a racial slur from a member of the crowd and pointed her out. Many fans did not take kindly to the incident, believing it to be heavy-handed and petty, and Goodes was booed by the crowd during many of his subsequent games. Unrepentant, Goodes famously performed an Indigenous war dance after scoring a goal in 2015, his hand miming a spear being thrown towards the Carlton cheer squad. Goodes made the gesture to celebrate his Indigenous roots, and many compared it to Winmar’s famous stand 22 years before. Detractors said it was aggressive and inflammatory. Goodes' supporters maintain criticism of his actions, and the booing, was entirely motivated by racism.

By making both his gestures Goodes demonstrated the power of a single movement in raising awareness and making a political point – his point being about his pride in his identity, and against racism and intolerance.

This Man

The handshake between Julia Gillard and Quentin Bryce was between Australia’s first woman Governor-General and its first woman Prime Minister. Knowing the importance of the moment, Bryce chose to wear a corsage on her jacket in the suffrage colours of white, green and purple. The corsage had belonged to her grandmother, herself a passionate supporter of women’s rights and education.

Three years later, Gillard’s hand was not shaking in friendship but in anger, as she pointed across the chamber to her opposite number, Tony Abbott. In response to allegations she was supporting alleged misogynistic behaviour by the Speaker, Gillard let fly with a tirade against Abbott that became a viral sensation. The image of Gillard in full-flight during her speech has become as important a part of her political story as the image of herself with Quentin Bryce at the start of her term.