It's not just trade unions and the labour movement that fondly remember the life of the late Bob Hawke - business too have held up the former Labor prime minister as an icon of Australian politics.
Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott believes Mr Hawke united Australians around common purpose - building a stronger, fairer and more prosperous nation.
"He helped create a more competitive Australian economy but also a more confident and outgoing Australian community," Ms Westacott said in a statement on Friday.
"Australian political life is poorer today without Bob Hawke, but Australians are richer for his bold economic and social reforms."
Among a long list of achievements, Mr Hawke, with his treasurer Paul Keating, floated the Australian dollar, opened up the banking industry to foreign players and cut tariffs, while setting up Medicare and introducing superannuation.
Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said Mr Hawke built strong relationships, which allowed for Accords between business, unions and government, averting or shortening many an industrial dispute, and led to consensus around the opening up of the Australian economy.
"These things were not always easy for all sides," Mr Willox said in a statement.
"But goodwill, open communication, trust and a willingness to compromise were keys to strong relationships and paving the way for outcomes that worked in the national interest."
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO James Pearson also described Mr Hawke as a "giant of industrial relations" and a man with whom so many Australians could identify and admire.
"The man has gone but his legacy endures," Mr Pearson said in a statement.
Mr Hawke was also pivotal in the creation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in 1989 - a forum where economies in the region were able to pursue more trade, partnerships and prosperity.
"Soon after, greater trade followed - creating jobs, lifting incomes and for fostering innovation and growth," a statement from the APEC secretariat based in Singapore said.
"We will continue to follow his footsteps and strive for confidence-building economic cooperation that fosters shared prosperity for all people across the Pacific Rim."
