CANBERRA, ACT. — Edward Gough Whitlam became the 21st Prime Minister of Australia on December 2, 1972, in the first ALP electoral victory since 1946.
The Whitlam government embarked on a massive legislative social reform program, which was forward-thinking and progressive in many ways.
On July 11, 1974, Whitlam appointed Sir John Kerr, Chief Justice of New South Wales, as the Governor-General of Australia, succeeding Sir Paul Hasluck.
Kerr had joined the Australian Labor Party in 1948 but became somewhat disillusioned with party politics following the Labor split in 1955.
When Whitlam appointed Kerr, he did not know that Kerr’s political views had changed and that he had come to see the role of Governor-General differently from Whitlam.
By 1975, the office of Governor-General had come to be regarded by many as ceremonial and politically unimportant.
Although the Australian Constitution gave the Governor-General wide-ranging powers, including the power to appoint and dismiss Ministers and to dissolve Parliament, Whitlam and others held the view that the Governor-General’s exercise of these powers must always be done on the advice of the Prime Minister.
Kerr disagreed with this view, arguing that the Constitution very clearly set out the Governor-General’s powers.
The Governor-General’s powers were very clearly put to the test in 1975.
Whilst initially popular, the fast pace of Whitlam’s reforms engendered caution amongst the electorate, and the economy was beset by high inflation combined with economic stagnation.
The opposition Liberal-National Country Party coalition held a majority in the Senate, the upper house of Parliament. In an unprecedented move, the Senate deferred voting on bills that appropriated funds for government expenditure, attempting to force the Prime Minister to dissolve the House of Representatives and call an election.
The Whitlam government ignored the warnings and sought alternative means of appropriating the funds it needed to repay huge debts. With Whitlam unable to secure the necessary funds, Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissed Whitlam as Prime Minister on November 11, 1975.
Kerr then appointed Liberal opposition leader Malcolm Fraser as caretaker Prime Minister. This was done on the condition that Fraser would seek a dissolution of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, thus precipitating a general election.
This date is another milestone for former Prime Minister Edward ‘Gough’ Whitlam: he was born on July 11, 1916.
