In this deeply reflective interview Jim Cairns, Deputy Prime Minister in the Whitlam Government, brings a new dimension to our understanding of his controversial role in Australia’s history by placing it in the context of the broader motivations of his life. His revelation of the childhood secret that lay at the heart of many of his later frustrations, disappointments and vulnerabilities, is an exceptionally moving contribution to our understanding of the human condition.

(1999, 26 mins) A Film Australia National Interest Program. Made in association with SBS TV.

© National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.