Gough Whitlam came into office toward the end of 1972. He was the first Labor Prime Minister in 23 years, and he arrived in the position keen to bring about a number of reforms and a new, progressive approach to the Australian national identity. Whitlam had already reformed the Labor Party's policy platform prior to coming to power, and as Prime Minister he established new Commonwealth bodies to deal with Aboriginal and Environmental issues, introduced free university education, and ended conscription. His term in office was cut short in November 1975 when he became the only Prime Minister to be removed from office by the Governor-General.
Edward Gough Whitlam (commonly known by his middle name) was born in Melbourne in 1916. He graduated in Law from the University of Sydney, and served as a navigator in the Air Force during the Second World War. Whitlam entered federal parliament in 1952 by winning the seat of Werriwa in a by-election. He kept this seat for 23 years, through eleven elections. He became Leader of the Opposition in 1967, and played a central role in getting the ALP re-elected to power, by modernising the policies of the party so as to appeal to the new generation of well-educated Baby Boomer voters (those born in the post World War II 'Baby Boom', who were young adults in the 1960s). Whitlam also won the ALP widespread support for his policy of government funding for non-government schools and for reaching out to Asia as Opposition Leader.
Campaigning on the slogan and theme 'It's Time', Whitlam became Prime Minister in December 1972. His progressive reform policies began to be put into place soon after his election. In 1972 Whitlam officially ended conscription, and during 1973 he was responsible for setting up government bodies such as the Law Reform Commission, the Social Welfare Commission, the Aboriginal Land Rights Commission, as well as an agency for Women's Affairs. By 1975 he had set up the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Australian Heritage Commission as well as overseen the passing of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) which led to the establishment of the Family Court. See image 1
The Whitlam government was relentless in enacting legislation. In 1973 alone 203 bills became laws. These included: ?The Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 (Cth), which established the means to review the decisions of government ministers and officials; ?The Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth), which made sure consumers were protected against faulty products and misleading conduct by sellers or manufacturers. It also made restrictive trade practices illegal and set down the law against copyright infringement; ?The Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth), which made racial discrimination illegal in Australia. This law covers discrimination in areas such as employment, buying or renting property, accessing public places and the provision of goods and services; and ?The Prices Justification Act 1973 (Cth), which established a Tribunal to monitor the prices of goods and services supplied to consumers.
Whitlam also put in place a National Pipeline Authority to oversee the planning and construction of a national natural gas pipeline system, and the Health Insurance Act 1973 (Cth), which established a national health scheme called 'Medibank'. Under this scheme public hospital treatment was free and up to 85 per cent of the cost of medical services was paid by the government.
Whitlam's success as a reformer also came with increased unpopularity in the electorate due to his government's mismanagement of the economy in an era of global economic turmoil. There was widespread unemployment, inflation and several scandals surrounding Whitlam's ministry. His unpopularity in 1975 was reflected in aggressive opposition in Parliament and a lack of public support for his government. It was at this point that the most infamous series of events surrounding Whitlam took place.
On 11 November 1975, the Governor-General dismissed Whitlam as Prime Minister and appointed Malcolm Fraser as a caretaker Prime Minister. This event sparked one of the most significant constitutional crises in Australian history. For the first time since Federation, the unelected representative of the Queen had removed a government which commanded a majority in the House of Representatives. 'The Dismissal', as it is known, remains a highly controversial event in Australian political history. See animation
The main reason for Whitlam's dismissal, now readily known as simply The Dismissal, was due to the fact that the Opposition in Australia, the Liberal Party and their coalition partners the Country Party, used their numbers in the Senate to defer the Supply Bill. This Supply Bill was the all important annual Budget, which ensured that the government of the day could govern the country, as it paid for everything more or less. Without it the country would soon shut-down as the Federal government would have no money. As a consequence of this, Kerr argued he was given no choice other than to dismiss the current government and ensure new general elections. His power in being able to do so however was questioned.
Despite its early popularity, Whitlam's government did not control the Senate, and the Senate resolutely opposed and rejected some of Whitlam's key legislative proposals. This included bills designed to institute a free health insurance system; to provide Senate representation for the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory; to reform the organization of electorates; and to allow the government to oversee the mining of oil and minerals. The repeated rejection of Whitlam's Bills led to the calling of a 'double dissolution' election, in which all members in both Houses are up for re-election.
A political 'scandal' also forced the election. Prior to the double dissolution election, Whitlam maneuvered to create an extra Senate vacancy in Queensland by offering a sitting senator, Vince Gair, an ambassadorship. Whitlam hoped Labor could win the vacant seat and take control of the Senate. The so-called 'Gair Affair' infuriated the Opposition, who threatened to 'block supply' in the Senate, which meant exercising its power to reject or defer appropriation or 'money bills'. These bills give the government access to the money it needs to govern the country.
In response to these blockages and hoping to secure his position with a strong re-election, Whitlam went to the then Governor-General Hasluck, and obtained the double dissolution election which was held in May of 1974. The Whitlam government was re-elected, although with a reduced majority, and the Senate continued to stymie the government's plans.
During 1975, the government also was involved in the 'Overseas Loans Affair'. The Whitlam government had a number of plans it needed funding for, including the construction of a natural gas pipeline, the electrification of interstate railways and a uranium enrichment plant. Some of Whitlam's ministers sought to raise an overseas loan of $4 billion to fund these projects, but rather than go to the usual American and European sources, they sought financing from the oil-rich Middle East. A Pakistani broker was used to secure the loan and the entire process was considered questionable by members of the government, media and public. In the end, no loan was ever obtained and no broking commissions paid, but Whitlam's government was made to look reckless and foolish.
In the face of economic difficulties and the political impact of the Loans Affair, Whitlam remained vulnerable throughout 1975. After a series of resignations in 1975, Opposition Leader Malcolm Fraser announced that the Senate would defer passage of all appropriations bills until Whitlam called another election. Whitlam refused, and this confrontation was followed by several weeks of constitutional crisis, which raised a number of crucial questions about Australian democracy and the roles of the House of Representatives and Senate in the Australian system.
Kerr, by now governor-general, took an active interest in the crisis and became convinced of the need to dismiss Whitlam from office. In a later statement Kerr said he believed that it was the democratic and constitutional solution to dismiss a prime minster who could not guarantee 'supply' and to let the Australian people decide the conflict. Kerr sought the advice of his friend Chief Justice Barwick, who endorsed the legality of the action on Monday, November 10. On November 11 the deed was done, to widespread outrage and disbelief.
As caretaker Prime Minister, Fraser immediately called an election. After a hostile and divisive campaign, Fraser's Liberal-Country Party coalition won 56 per cent of the vote, giving it 91 of the 127 House of Representatives seats, and 35 of the 64 Senate seats. This was a record majority in the House of Representatives and gave the government majority rule in the Senate.
Whitlam contested the 1977 general election, but upon defeat he resigned from the Labor Party leadership and subsequently from parliament in 1978. He took up academic posts upon his retirement and was appointed Australian Ambassador to UNESCO in 1983. In retirement Whitlam continued to lecture and comment on political and constitutional issues. He has recently commented that he agrees with Malcolm Fraser on a wide range of contemporary issues, with the two former adversaries even campaigning together for certain causes.
Reform before its time perhaps and also a good reminder for those opposed to reform to look at what got done back then so quickly that it all seems forgotten.Wow ! And the liberal goverment of the day did not have a vision for the future i guess as we never got that rail system.As well as many others.I guess we can also remeber what the next goverment did?
