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Clip description
Political expert Professor Geoffrey Sawer discusses Deakin’s role in the first decade of Federation. Former prime minister Sir Robert Menzies (1949–66) hails Deakin as Australia’s greatest prime minister.
Curator’s notes
Deakin’s contribution to the first decade of the Australian Commonwealth is praised by the academic Geoffrey Sawer and Sir Robert Menzies, Australia’s longest-serving prime minister. Both note the visionary nature of the legislation Deakin initiated. Although Deakin was not Australia’s first prime minister, he is regarded by interviewees in this documentary as the ‘founding father’ of modern Australia.
This clip is a good example of a style of television documentary from a bygone era. The interviewer is off-camera, respectful and polite, even calling Menzies 'sir’ and letting him speak for a full minute with no interruptions. The camera stays in close-up while both subjects speak, with little or no editing. This adds to the interest of the material, allowing us to focus fully on the subjects and consider what they say.
