Former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam dies

[The Archregimancy]

A thread for our Australians...

Former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam has died at the age of 98.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-29694093

Despite serving as Prime Minister for only three years in the 1970s, he remains one of Australia's most significant - and to those on the right of the political spectrum, most controversial - political figures of the post-Menzies era.

The circumstances of his dismissal from office also form one of the deepest constitutional controversies in Australian history. Paradoxically, Whitlam and Fraser later became firm friends.

So how does NSG - Australian or otherwise - remember Whitlam?

Let's try and avoid too many "I have no idea who he was" posts.

True story... I met Whitlam briefly while working on contract at Port Arthur in Tasmania last decade, though by then he could only get around with the help of a walker.

[Estado Nacional]

Can't say I've ever heard of him.

[Shrillland]

He was without any doubt one of the greatest PMs Australia ever had. He gave the country Medicare, free university education, peace from Vietnam., and started to heal the racial and ethnic divides that plagued-and still plague-Australia.
RIP.

[The World Health Organisation]

RIP Gough. You were one of our best.

[Keyboard Warriors]

Probably the greatest Australian Prime Minister ever based on how his policies have continued to shape the nation.

[The Eastern Antarctic State]

He was without any doubt one of the greatest PM's Australia ever had. He gave the country Medicare, free university education, peace from Vietnam., and started to heal the racial and ethnic divides that plagued-and still plague-Australia.
RIP.

RIP Gough. You were a great prime minister of our great land.

[Emile Zola]

One of the greatest PM's. Add equal pay for women and taking sales taxes off contraceptives and putting on the pharmaceutical benefit scheme on top of all he did. In fact he did more in the first few weeks of power them most do in a lifetime. An elite who did everything he could for the working class or fellow comrades as he put it. His legacy will outlast those that came after him.

[Ardchoille]

Ave atque vale, comrade.

[Dewhurst-Narculis]

Definitely one of our best, true Aussie through and through, one of our truly magnetic leaders. 98 is a good innings though

[The Risen Jaguar Warriors]

RIP Gough Whitlam... †

You gave my father free university education. That secured my future. RIP baby, we will never forget you... (unlike that "Sir" John Kerr...)

You did more in a few years than subsequent Prime Ministers did in their entire terms. Ah-Songt'i has granted you a long, fruitful life for your good deeds (unlike that "Sir" John Kerr...) but, most unfortunately, you spent your final years without your sweetheart.

I cannot help but shed some tears, even though I have never met you...

[The Archregimancy]

As the Guardian has thoughtfully posted the original story on their website, I thought our Australians might be interested to see how the Dismissal was reported on in at least one UK newspaper back in 1975:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/1975/nov/12/australia

I don't want to turn this into a Dismissal thread, but the events are so central to Whitlam's time in office (or rather, the conclusion thereof) that I thought it might be of interest.

Non-Australians might also find this helpful in providing context to what might otherwise be a fairly arcane point of constitutional history for our members who aren't from Westminster-style constitutional monarchies.

[Cedoria]

RIP Gough Whitlam

Never met him personally, but he was one of our best, Sir 'sour-faced' John Kerr should never have dismissed him from office.

Well done Gough, you made our country great,
Now let's stop Tony Abcess and his Tea Party look-a-likes from destroying it.

[Schwabenreich]

I am too young to see his free university, something I wish I had five years ago when I dropped out, and something I wish now as I plan to attend university next year, but my father benefited from the free university education provided and the medicare Gough Whitlam left behind is great, at least greater than not having it. Seems like one of the best prime ministers we have if not the best. Sucks that he couldn't do more, sucks that no one has done more for us since. Ninety-eight is a good run.

[The Risen Jaguar Warriors]

RIP Gough Whitlam

Never met him personally, but he was one of our best, Sir 'sour-faced' John Kerr should never have dismissed him from office.

Well done Gough, you made our country great,
Now let's stop Tony Abcess and his Tea Party look-a-likes from destroying it.

You do mean "Phony Abbot", right? *nods*

[Costa Fierro]

I've heard of Whitlam and his exploits but could someone explain just exactly what prompted his dismissal?

[Cedoria]

I've heard of Whitlam and his exploits but could someone explain just exactly what prompted his dismissal?

Conservative Opposition Leader Malcolm Fraser and the GG Sir John Kerr decided that they didn't like Whitlam. So they cooked up a juicy scheme to scare the Australian people into thinking that we were running out of money, and used it as an excuse to dismiss him from office... illegally

GG's reserve powers are supposed to be exercised independently of political pressure and therefore Kerr broke the law by dismissing Whitlam as he had collaborated with Fraser.

Then Fraser became PM and said "Oh my, we actually have a budget surplus, my bad.."

He didn't actually say that, but you get my point, basically it was just a conservative plot to get rid of him.

[The Archregimancy]

I've heard of Whitlam and his exploits but could someone explain just exactly what prompted his dismissal?

See this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Austr ... nal_crisis

Under the Australian electoral system, the party that controls the lower house of parliament doesn't necessarily control the upper house; the two houses are elected under two different voting systems, and it would be unusual to elect all members of the upper house simultaneously with the lower house members.

Unusually, both houses of the Australian parliament have equal legislative power on most issues even though the Prime Minister is chosen from the party controlling the lower house. The exception is that financial bills must originate in the lower house; the Senate cannot amend these, only pass them or reject them. In 1975, the opposition controlled the Senate and decided to block financial supply to the government.

Governor-General Sir John Kerr - the Queen's representative in Australia, but acting without consulting the Queen - decided to break the deadlock by dismissing the Whitlam government (despite the fact that it still held a majority in the lower house), calling an election for both houses of parliament, and installing opposition leader Malcolm Fraser as acting Prime Minister.

The written Australian constitution does ostensibly grant this power to the Governor-General, but doing so counter to the advice of the Prime Minister (and, for that matter, without consulting the monarch that he ostensibly represented) ran counter to established precedent in Westminster-style constitutional monarchies that the Crown can only act on the advice of its ministers.

It was therefore a deeply controversial decision.

I've cut out a lot of the detail, including the shenanigans arising from both sides trying to gain control of the Senate (see this and this for examples), so best to read the link.


Edit: Here's another site with extensive information on the Dismissal - http://whitlamdismissal.com/

[Beta Test]

A true Australian hero. RIP.

[Sternberg]

Many Prime Ministers, at least within Australian public consciousness, are forever remembered normally for how they conducted themselves in office and/or for stand-out policies that were landmarks in their time.

PM's such as John Curtin - the PM who resolved that "Australia shall NOT go!" and kept us afloat during much of the Second World War - or Bob Hawke, for his general 'blokeiness' and policy of economic reform, and so on and so forth.

But for me, Gough Whitlam would always be remembered as - if I may appropriate a meme quote here - "the PM who got shit done!"

Rest in peace, mate.

[New Chalcedon]

*Bows head in respect*

Well, the man had a good innings. 98 years old is nothing to sneeze at, and in his three years as PM, he did more than most PMs do in ten.

[Sebtopiaris]

He was arguably one of our best, if not the best, of our prime ministers. Rest in peace, Gough Whitlam

[Toronina]

So sad. One of the best PM's is gone. RIP Gough, you were one of, if not the best Prime Minister's of Australia

[New Chalcedon]

I've heard of Whitlam and his exploits but could someone explain just exactly what prompted his dismissal?

Conservative Opposition Leader Malcolm Fraser and the GG Sir John Kerr decided that they didn't like Whitlam. So they cooked up a juicy scheme to scare the Australian people into thinking that we were running out of money, and used it as an excuse to dismiss him from office... illegally

GG's reserve powers are supposed to be exercised independently of political pressure and therefore Kerr broke the law by dismissing Whitlam as he had collaborated with Fraser.

Then Fraser became PM and said "Oh my, we actually have a budget surplus, my bad.."

He didn't actually say that, but you get my point, basically it was just a conservative plot to get rid of him.

....Not actually the case. In order:

(1) Kerr's decision to act in concert with Fraser was largely a spur-of-the-moment one.

(2) The budgetary crisis was very real. The Constitution prohibits any money - so much as one cent! - being spent without the express authorization of both Houses of Parliament, and the Senate (divided between Government and Opposition Senators, with Independent Senators holding the balance of power) had repeatedly refused to authorize the annual Budget. This was largely a political tactic, and one that even Opposition Senators were growing increasingly nervous about, but it was Fraser's doing, not Kerr's.

(3) Kerr first attempted to broker a compromise between Fraser (who effectively controlled the Senate) and Whitlam (who controlled the House, and was PM), but Whitlam refused, determined to destroy Fraser and misreading the level of support he could expect from Kerr.

(4) When Ellicott (Bob Ellicott, former Solicitor-General and passionate Whitlam-hater) advised Kerr that either Whitlam had to compromise, or Kerr had to fire him, Kerr...told Whitlam that Ellicott's opinion was bullshit and asked for a written advice from the Government to that effect. Whitlam failed to provide it.

Don't get me wrong - the Coalition's tactics to get that Senate majority to deny supply in the first place were slimy at best, and borderline-illegal. It's telling that one of the first things Fraser did after winning the subsequent election was to propose a Constitutional amendment to prevent someone else doing to him as he'd done to Gough. Even more tellingly, that amendment passed with wide majorities in all States.

[Cedoria]

Conservative Opposition Leader Malcolm Fraser and the GG Sir John Kerr decided that they didn't like Whitlam. So they cooked up a juicy scheme to scare the Australian people into thinking that we were running out of money, and used it as an excuse to dismiss him from office... illegally

GG's reserve powers are supposed to be exercised independently of political pressure and therefore Kerr broke the law by dismissing Whitlam as he had collaborated with Fraser.

Then Fraser became PM and said "Oh my, we actually have a budget surplus, my bad.."

He didn't actually say that, but you get my point, basically it was just a conservative plot to get rid of him.

Well you are certainly right, but the thrust of what I was saying is true. The thrust of it was that GG Sir John Kerr and Fraser unlawfully conspired to dismiss Gough from office. The point of the GG's reserve powers to enable them to act INDEPENDENTLY of political pressure on the advice of the reigning monarch to dismiss an elected government if a PM started acting nuts.

The sole criterion for holding government constitutionally is the support of the majority of MP's in the House of Representatives. Whilst Gough Whitlam still possessed this, as he did, there were no constitutional grounds for dismissing him from office.

If the HOR had voted against him in a 'No Confidence' motion and Whitlam did not resign, then the reserve powers should come into effect. But whilst he held a majority in the Lower House he was entitled to remain as PM and continue governing. Anything else is illegal.

[Reddogkeno101]

May Gough rest in peace. One of the best, if not the best we've ever had. Had a damn good innings too; 98! We've lost one of the last true 'good' politicians; the ones who give politicians a good name.