Page "Mike Rann" Paragraph 5

Rann visited his brother Chris in Adelaide during 1977.

Shortly afterwards he moved to that city, to carry out a position with then Premier Don Dunstan's Industrial Democracy Unit.

He subsequently worked as Dunstan ’ s press secretary, speech writer and adviser, and went on to serve Labor premiers Des Corcoran and John Bannon after Dunstan's retirement from politics.

Manning has stated that one commentator reported that Rann was " frankly inspired by Dunstan's idealism " as opposed to " Bannon's cool electoral pragmatism ".

Rann sometimes talked during this period of his ambitions to one day become Premier himself.

Meanwhile Rann wrote speeches on, and assisted in policy development for, civil liberties, Aboriginal land rights, gay and women's rights, and opposition to uranium mining.

Revealing a vein of idealism, his early predilection was left of centre.