The ABC News Division and the Rural Department (that I worked in) both had strict guide-lines about maintaining balance when there were differing views.
Tonight's Whitlam program was more about history than party propaganda. Whitlam's victory after 23 stultifying years of conservative rule was a turning point in Australia's history that's best understood by how Liberal leaders would address a public gathering "Mr Chairman, Chief Justice McLean and Lady Mclean, Sir Herbert Fotheringham, the Reverend Basil Pugh, Mrs Pugh, my Lord Mayor, ladies and gentlemen..."
Gough would walk out on to a stage and wait for the hubbub to die down. Then he'd look at the last seat, last row and in a booming voice say: "Men and women of Australia" and the crowd would go wild. Gough spoke to us. Not to born-to-rule Elitists who despised the common herd, workers and unions.
But the pace of change got so hectic after Labor's 1972 victory that many people got scared as minister after minister made new policy announcements. Change Fatigue set in and the rest in history. The Libs won the 1975 federal election.
