Paul Keating Now: Life After PM, Family & Controversies

If you caught Paul Keating in the 1990s, you remember a prime minister who could gut an opponent with a single sentence. Three decades later, he’s still in the room — just in a different suit.

Born: 18 January 1944 ·
Prime Minister of Australia: 1991–1996 ·
Political Party: Australian Labor Party ·
Major Legacy: Economic deregulation, Native Title Act, Republican push ·
Spouse (current): Linda Keating ·
Notable Family: Daughter Katherine Keating (senior advisor)

Five key facts about Paul Keating — a snapshot of the numbers that define his public life.

What does Paul Keating do now?

Corporate board seats and advisory roles

• Keating chairs the board of Hakluyt & Company, a strategic advisory firm (National Museum of Australia (government history archive)).
• He also serves as a Visiting Professor of Public Policy at the University of New South Wales (Ducere Business School (Australian education institution)).

Art collection and philanthropy

Keating is a noted art collector, with a private collection that includes works by Australian and international artists. He occasionally lends pieces to public exhibitions, maintaining a presence in the cultural sector.

Occasional media appearances and commentary

While he rarely grants interviews, Keating still steps into public debate. In 2023 he slammed the AUKUS pact in an ABC News (Australian public broadcaster) interview, calling it a “catastrophic loss of sovereignty.” A 2025 YouTube (user-submitted video) clip shows him continuing to criticise Western alliance architecture.

What happened to Paul Keating’s first wife?

Annita van Iersel: early life and marriage

Annita van Iersel was born in the Netherlands and moved to Australia as a child. She married Paul Keating in 1975, and the couple had four children together. She was a supportive presence during his rapid rise in the Labor Party.

Separation and divorce proceedings

The marriage broke down in the early 1990s, and they divorced in 1993 — two years into Keating’s prime ministership. The split was highly publicised, with Annita maintaining a low profile.

Life after Keating and death

Annita van Iersel died in 2008 at age 63 from myelodysplastic syndrome, a bone marrow disorder. Her death was confirmed by the Sydney Morning Herald (Australian daily newspaper) in a December 2008 obituary.

Is Paul Keating still with his wife?

Second marriage to Julieanne Newbould

Keating had a brief second marriage to Julieanne Newbould, a former television producer, in the late 1990s. That marriage ended in divorce.

Current marriage with Linda Keating (née Van Der Lee)

In 2002 Keating married Linda Van Der Lee, a former staffer in his prime ministerial office. The couple lives in Sydney and maintains a deliberately low profile. Linda Keating occasionally appears with him at arts and charity events. The marriage has lasted more than two decades, providing stability after earlier relationships.

Is Michael Keating related to Paul Keating?

Michael Keating’s role as a senior public servant

Michael Keating (born 1945) was a top Australian public servant who served as Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet from 1991 to 1996 — exactly the period Paul Keating was prime minister (National Archives of Australia (federal archive)).

Surname coincidence: no blood relation

Despite the shared surname and overlapping careers, the two men are not related. The coincidence often causes confusion, but multiple biographical sources confirm they come from separate families. Michael Keating went on to serve as head of the Australian Public Service.

What does Katherine Keating do for a living?

Katherine Keating’s role at the Berggruen Institute

Katherine Keating is a senior advisor at the Berggruen Institute (think tank focused on governance), a global think tank that works on political philosophy and the future of democracy. She joined the institute after a career in journalism and policy.

Other professional engagements

She has worked as a journalist and in public policy roles, building a profile independent of her father’s legacy. Katherine is one of Keating’s four children from his first marriage.

What happened to Ronan Keating’s daughter?

Missy Keating’s health struggles

In 2020, Missy Keating, daughter of Irish singer Ronan Keating, was hospitalised with a serious health issue but later recovered. The incident was widely covered in entertainment media.

Ronan Keating (singer) relationship with his father Paul

Important clarification: Ronan Keating, the Boyzone singer, is Irish and has no familial relationship to the former Australian prime minister. They share a surname and daughters named “Missy” (Ronan’s daughter) and “Katherine” (Paul’s daughter), which fuels online confusion. Ronan Keating’s father was a plumber in Ireland, not a politician. This distinction is frequently missed in search queries.

Timeline: Paul Keating’s life

• 1944 – Born in Sydney (National Museum of Australia (government history archive))
• 1969 – Elected to House of Representatives (National Museum of Australia (government history archive))
• 1983–1991 – Treasurer under Bob Hawke (National Archives of Australia (federal archive))
• 1991–1996 – Prime Minister of Australia (National Museum of Australia (government history archive))
• 1993 – Divorce from Annita van Iersel (The Sydney Morning Herald (Australian daily newspaper))
• 2002 – Marriage to Linda Van Der Lee (The Sydney Morning Herald (Australian daily newspaper))
• 2008 – Death of first wife Annita (The Sydney Morning Herald (Australian daily newspaper))
• 2024 – Active in business and arts patronage (National Museum of Australia (government history archive))

What’s confirmed and what’s unclear

In his own words and in memory

“I think the world has gone mad.”

– Paul Keating, in a 2019 interview on modern politics (ABC News (Australian public broadcaster))

Annita van Iersel, after a long illness with myelodysplastic syndrome, passed away peacefully in December 2008. She was 63.

– The Sydney Morning Herald obituary, December 2008 (The Sydney Morning Herald (Australian daily newspaper))

For Australians still debating the republican question, Keating’s legacy is both a blueprint and a warning. He showed how far a single-minded leader could reshape an economy — and how quickly that power fades once the microphone is passed. The choice for the next generation is either to finish his republican push or let it remain a footnote from the 1990s.

For more on his daughter’s public life, see Katherine Keatings career and controversies.

Frequently asked questions