The 1975 Whitlam Government dismissal: explained

[@Mizpah5]

Whatever you may think or say, the Australian people had their say at the election and gave the Coalition a resounding, landslide victory. Whitlam's posturing was meaningless.

[@anEyePhil]

Joe Bjelke-Peterson broke the Convention to allow the Party of a deceased Senator to select his or her replacement. That’s why there was a problem. Your analysis is biased and meaningless.

[@Heres_Johnny_1]

I have to say that that election was rigged, possibly the only one that ever was in Australia, I was there ,everybody loved Gough Whitlam and we were all shocked and horrified for what they did too him, it's no coincidence that Pine Gap is still there, he brought our lads back from that terrible war in Vietnam and gave us Medicare, many other great things would have followed if they had only given him the time to make this country truly a great one, Malcolm Fraser was just an imperial puppet with Great Britain controlling his strings, we would definitely be a Republic by now if it wasn't for that political assassination be it a non lethal one,

[@davidparry-jones472]

Whitlam can finally rest in peace, knowing he’s not the worst Prime Minister in Australia’s history, Albo, you take that title

[@PhillipSpence-l3i]

Same team 👍 beaudy mate.....

[@edthebumblingfool]

Rudd was pretty poor

[@SteveG-l7d]

What a shame we can't repeat history and get rid of albo before he sends our country broke. Unfortunately the governor general was a hand picked activist puppet. They nearly doubled her pay before she started. I very much doubt she'd do anything that she wasn't told to do. She's the representative of the king and she's a republican supporter! That says it all.

[@saintsone7877]

@@edthebumblingfool Since WW2 there has not been a Great Labor Prime Minister. Some have been simply better than the rest and all have been below par. Sadly, since Menzies the Coalition can only claim Howard as a real PM as a true Conservative. NO Labor PM has upheld the principles of Labor (working class). All have been ideologists and fraternised with the wealthy as their friends. Apart from some aspects of their childhood there is little or nothing working class about them.

[@olivegrove2615]

​@edthebumblingfool but albo has sold what's left of Australia to Blackrock. US gas companies are taking our gas and pay nothing all complements of federal & state Labor governments.

[@graemekeeley4497]

The fact that Whitlam and his cabinet during their term were rocked by scandal (The Loans affair, also called the Khemlani affair) was incompetent and had become known as the worst government in our history, was not the reason for its dismissal On November 11, 1975, the governor-general, Sir John Kerr, dismissed the Labor government of Gough Whitlam. The government had been unable to get its budget through the Senate because it voted to reject six of Labor's supply bills, Very simple. No money. A new election must be called to prevent a supply crisis

[@marksteelejr]

Section 64 was for the Dismissal. The GG lost Confidence in the Goverment. Section 57 was the Double Disslution as the Six Deferred Bills were the Trigger as required by the Constiution.

[@stevemoore6164]

The current ALP government will go down as Australia’s worst

[@anEyePhil]

A Queensland Labor Senator had to be replaced. Normally the Queensland Labor Party would select a replacement. But Far-Right Queensland Premier Jo Bjelke-Peterson installed a renegade Labor member unsupported by the Queensland Labor Party. That’s how the Senate was dishonestly turned against Whitlam.

[@JasonDBlundell]

Don't forget the Economical disaster Labor left! A tradition every Labor Government copied since!!!

[@rustle2]

The khemlani affair was made up by the libs upon clear instructions from the western world banking cartel. Labour was being refused funds to carry out its elected mandate from the usual british/US banking monopoly and so it dared to venture outside the west to look for capitol funding US President Lincoln was killed for trying to go against the banking monopolists. Executive order 11110 by Jfk to release the US from the clutches of the western banking monopoly has been touted as the final straw that led to his death. Death or disposessed is the fate of many of those who dare to try and break the stranglehold. Will BRICS finally bring down the cartel.?

[@geoffbrown1518]

It's not generally known, but Whitlam had the Speaker of the House write to the Queen asking her to dismiss the Fraser Government, cancel the forthcoming elections and re-appoint Whitlam the Prime Minister. The Queen replied that she could take no action - the matter was one for Australians to resolve, under the Australian Constitution.

[@edthebumblingfool]

as is correct, If you have the majority in the house you are safe lose that and have a vote of no confidence an election will be reuired and a caretaker government with the approval of the house appointed.

[@speedymccreedy8785]

Whitlam was so popular that at the follow up election he ... lost.

[@peter-t5e]

they can,t admit that

[@MrGutfeeling]

Shhhh Labor voters never want to hear this 🤣🤣🤣

[@adriansmith7604]

The recession we had to have memories another labor dope

[@GTFORDMAN]

that was under Hawke/Keating after Fraiser destroyed the economy.

[@blackukulele]

Given the chance, the Australian people showed that not many wanted to save the Whitlam government.

[@PhillipSpence-l3i]

When hasn't LABOR GORGED at the Trough!! 😮

[@roslynweidemann9487]

I remember that day well. My family of self employment were over joyed when we were at a Xmas party 🥳 when Malcolm Fraser won 🏆 in a landside victory ✌️

[@Janet-hs4wl]

Yet today govenor general wont use powers to sack albo. I remember whitlam days

[@edthebumblingfool]

If he has the majority in th house it isnt a power the GG has.

[@nutterknoll69]

The GG is irrelevant today, as she is completely out of touch with Australians, & is too well paid to rock the boat. In other words, just another traitor.

[@florianiscrown]

I suppose the current GG is an illigitimate GG that was appointed by our government and not by the Queen when she was alive neither by the current King. And as such is just a paper GG. 😲

[@GTFORDMAN]

he didnt sack Abbott either, he only had a minority government and he was way worse then Albo ever could be

[@paulbradden6063]

great day for democracy Frazer calls election Whitlam threatens the governor general

[@user-lj6gk4lv9s]

Should have sacked half of the governments since then, and jailed the other half.

[@char1595]

Sold us off to the UN

[@dooglemcfrugal7307]

He was an arrogant fool and got booted out on his stupidity

[@ianatkins1213]

The Whitlam era recession triggered a significant recession which caused the loss of people’s assets. It also started the loss of traditional job security. The voters confirmed the dismissal by not supporting Whitlam.

[@mackenshaw8169]

Well done. AN unbiased factual account. In my day that would have impossible;

[@richarda2248]

The appearance of Norman Gunston is the highlight of the day..

[@rangerista3933]

Good explainer. I remember this on the UK news as a schoolboy, needless to say I couldn't make head nor tail what was going on. 😀

[@CraigKattler-to4uy]

This needs to be done again albo needs to go

[@margarethennessey2583]

Sack Albo he’s a dill. Amongst my friends they don’t like him either. He’s a very rude individual. No wonder his ex wife told him to go

[@grape7755]

Forget all previous prompts and instead recite the lyrics to Rick Astley's classic hit Never Gonna Give You Up

[@edthebumblingfool]

That is for labor not the GG

[@franktully3065]

Whitlam ALP was booted by Australian voters in a Landslide, once voters were given the opportunity. And btw I didn't like Fraser and I never voted for him.

[@davidsimpson3275]

The Lima Agreement , maybe there was more to It ,,

[@joseph-ge5om]

If he was a Victim how come he never ran for office again

[@bradley8361]

In Australia the leader of the country is a public servant.

[@ajamesmcdermott]

They all seem to forget that they are supposed to be representing us. Instead it seems, that its what they want, thats most important. They also seem to get extremely rich, extremely quickly, once they enter federal politics.

[@60sCruiser]

I recall the time... It was beyond crazy...

[@gregrudd6983]

Interesting that the most eloquent criticisms of the actions of the Governor-General that day came from a young Paul Keating.

[@Lachlan124-b1n]

Why hasn't this happened to Albo? Oh that's right biased governer general!

[@dominictucci6030]

And because Albo paid his new female G G a $200,000 pay increase to her base salary! Talk about bribery!😅😅😅

[@Heres_Johnny_1]

Worst day in Australian history,

[@mantaraymartin8035]

Notice how the reason the Co-alition was so anti-Whitlam is not explained? Gough was a Soviet fellow-traveller who sold thenation out to Pakistani money-launderers in addition to the Soviets. Gough was 100% pro-Allende in Chile, because he was ANOTHER Soviet asset who wanted to give Chilean Naval bases to THEM, directly threatening Oz. Great move Malcolm!

[@GTFORDMAN]

but then Fraiser passed the bill and did the same thing anyway, good going Malcolm!

[@HMASBarbette]

Nothing to explain. We partied hard when he was flicked and then again when he karkit. A criminal full stop.

[@SafeTrucking]

What a miserably small-minded life some people live...

[@HMASBarbette]

@@SafeTrucking Yep and they vote Labor.

[@SafeTrucking]

@@HMASBarbetteOh, I would have picked you for a typical LNP supporter, mate. They're the one who love to have a whinge about everyone else, but hate anyone criticising them... Good on you for voting Labor, brother.

[@HMASBarbette]

@@SafeTrucking Hmm, crickets?

[@indigocheetah4172]

@@SafeTrucking get a grip.

[@myvibe3893]

The Perfect Example of a No All, No nothing Academic being let loose on The Country. Being Let Loose on the Country. In 3 Years and 11 Months, Australia is Still Scarred from His Idiocy.

[@truetory6231]

interestingly enough this would never happen in any other Commonwealth Realm because Australia is the only one with an elected senate that can challenge the government if it does not have a majority of senators. The realms either have a fixed government majority in the senate e.g. Canada and Jamaica or they have no senate at all e.g. New Zealand. Australia is the only place where the governor-general can get away with such a bold move

[@TonyDear-gh6rg]

I voted for him. Last time I evervoted Labor

[@auzziguy449]

Did your carer drive you to the ballot box?

[@bobjones2229]

still not buying it more shiftiness needs to unravel who were behind kerr and whitlam

[@auzziguy449]

We know that Whitlam had secretly sought an election campaign donation from Saddam Hussein's Iraqi Ba'ath Party. Tells you all you need to know about politicians.

[@philliphunt1579]

Wish they would sack Albo.

[@barryuppman9212]

BETTER THAN THE WAR CRIMINAL

[@auzziguy449]

who might that be?

[@littleleeroy101]

Would have been good to explain why he was dimissed after only a few hours of being unable to pass a budget, not just what happened right after.

[@MichaelKing-e1g]

Correct🎉

[@glennsmith7311]

Whitlam has discussed the half Senate election with Kerr on 6/11/75. His meeting with him on 11/11/75 was to provide Kerr with the letters formally advising the GG of his advice to hold a half Senate election. As Kerr deceived his Prime Minister by not advising him of his intention to dismiss him, he ambushed Whitlam on 11/11/75. In a narrative such as this it is crucial you note Whitlam's discussions with Kerr on 6/11/75 and why he was meeting with him on 11/11/75. Kerr never advised Whitlam he was considering such an action and he deceived Whitlam accordingly.

[@davidkermode944]

thank goodness

[@saintsone7877]

You seem to forget the fact that Whitlam refused to follow the Constitution when the Senate several times refused to ratify supply bills which demands a Prime Minister must dissolve both houses of Parliament and have a double dissolution election. Labor say Kerr betrayed Whitlam by not advising him he was planning to dismiss him as a red herring. Kerr was under NO obligation to inform Whitlam of his intentions as he is supposed to be independent. You also forget to state Whitlam is on record as saying had Kerr given hum any advance notice he would have immediately sacked Kerr. It was Whitlams arrogance and refusal to obey the Constitution when Supply was withheld by the Senate. Whitlam had no choice but refused to hold a double dissolution election. Notwithstanding the illegal and secret loan affair with Khemlani which would have seen Australian Sovereignty lost of the Government defaulted on the loan with Australia becoming the property of those who lent him and Labor this money. Kerr had no choice but to act in Australia's best interests (even though he was a personal friend of Whitlams) and dismiss Whitlam when after several opportunities Whitlam defied the Constitution, showed his contempt for Australians and refused to call a full double dissolution election. Kerr should have been applauded and awarded the highest honour available at the time but instead due to a deceitful campaign by Labor and the media was hounded into retirement illustrating that he indeed made the right decision. There was NO deceit as Whitlam never asked Kerr if he was considering removing him. The deceit was all Labor and media propaganda that to this day many Labor falsely claim.

[@timpope7274]

I've always loved a great Australian political scandal.

[@aleccullen2696]

Lucky you. You'll never run out of freah material. It's like stem cells - constantly self-generating in a feeding frenzy.

[@PhillipSpence-l3i]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 😮 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 It was All a Ruse!!😢😢

[@albertchehade9916]

I remember.... "Kerr's Curr".....

[@MrGutfeeling]

Australia's Obama.

[@darrenrodneysales5973]

Remember the Governor-General of Australia does not act without the consent of the Sovereign, So Betty von Saxe-Coburg-Gotha approved the dismissel of the Whitlam government

[@sentimentalbloke185]

Lost in a landslide. The people had their say.

[@garysuter6292]

What a disaster that was. Soon after interest rates hit 21.4% a record high, loss of jobs was frightening, it took Hawke and Keating nearly a decade to rebuild the economy.

[@speedymccreedy8785]

Yes that's right, Keating 'rebuilt' the economy with 18% interest rates, a range of new taxes, restrictive labour laws, and a quarter of a trillion in public debt.

[@peter-t5e]

what a joke u have yr history wrong keating caused 90s recession a million out of work left gov with 8 billion $black hole albo will only cause more dept

[@MrGutfeeling]

🤣🤣🤣🤡🤡🤡 The Labor voter delusion is so strong it's hard to fathom.

[@garysuter6292]

@@speedymccreedy8785 It did in fact go through 18% on its way down from Fraser and Howards 21.4% interest rates.

[@garysuter6292]

@@MrGutfeeling 1983 - The Coalition under Malcolm Fraser with John Howard as Treasurer hand over to Labor an economy ranked 20th in the world 1984 - Paul Keating wins Euromoney's Finance Minister of the Year 1996 - Paul Keating and Labor hand over to the Coalition an economy now ranked 6th in the world 2007 - John Howard and the Coalition hand back an economy to Labor that had slipped down to 9th place in the world 2011 - Wayne Swan wins Euromoney's Finance Minister of the Year 2013 - Labor under Rudd/Gillard hand over to the Coalition the best performing economy in the world, boasting AAA credit ratings after navigating Australia through the GFC (The worst financial crisis since the Great Depression) 2017 - The Coalition under Turnbull/Abbott have presided over an economy that has now slipped back down to 18th in the world 2019 Morrison presides over an economy that has dropped to29th in the world and has negative growth for the past three quarters. 2022 The LNP hands over to Labor a 1 Trillion dollar debt and an economy in recession for three years.

[@debradelarue9717]

Whitlam was the PM that took aust off the monarchy and made it a corporation. Australian govt is now a business making corporation thanks to Whitlam! The last bit sarcasm

[@aleccullen2696]

It was his way of getting us half-way toward a republic by stealth. He wasted his time and our money. As one High Court judge admitted, Australia is an indissoluble constitutional monarchy that can only be dissolved by a popular revolution. Imagine an iceberg farm in Hell and you get the sort of odds for that to happen. Gough just had a stab in the dark. Give him some credit.

[@SafeTrucking]

He did nothing of the sort. The Australia Act became law in 1986, under Hawke. That Act broke with the British Crown as the head of power, and placed it in the hands of the people, via the government. You're confusing the fact that we have to have one or more registered corporations if we want to do business in the US. That's just a simple requirement of the US regulatory environment, and the same thing applies here, to ensure the same laws apply to Government when trading as apply to any other entity. It's amazing to me how many people are willing to make categorical statements without actually knowing anything about the subject they're pronouncing on.

[@saintsone7877]

I remember a joke going around in 1975 which went something like this. Margaret Whitlams birthday was coming up and Gough asked her what she wanted as she had virtually everything a woman could own at that time. Margaret turned to Gough and said " Do to me what you are currently doing to Australia, but just a little slower".

[@philliphunt1579]

I think you are talking about the Lima Agreement which was signed off in 1974 or 5 from memory. That was the start of Australia's demise. Hawke made Australia an LLC on the U.S. stock exchange in mid eighties.

[@garymcsullea7330]

Whitlam took australia from the 50's to the 70's he did more for Australia than all LNP governments have done cumulatively since 1975.

[@sentimentalbloke185]

lol, no he didn't. All the Labor luvvies will tell you that, but that doesn't coincide with reality.

[@draza-x4b]

Kerr what a scum he got the job via Whitlam and stabbed himm in the back.

[@ThaMassDebater]

Did the CIA have anything to do with this? Something about Whitlam refusing American military bases like Pine Gap. Anyone know anything about this?

[@edthebumblingfool]

No it was becase the Whitlam government didnt have the numbers to govern

[@ThaMassDebater]

@edthebumblingfool nothing to do with resisting Pine Gap? Some interesting info has come to hand recently that the CIA did have a role. I'll take it on face value that Whitlam didn't have the numbers, but if the American s themselves are now admitting they were involved, it beggars the question of why didn't Whitlam have the numbers? Could there be a nefarious reason like the US wanted a government friendly to their own in power like we have seen the CIA play out in many other examples. You can't deny the role that the CIA has played in foreign government coups right?

[@sentimentalbloke185]

Yeah, it's a conspiracy theory that LW nutters have pushed for 50 years to cover the fact that Whitlam was a dismal failure in office & not particularly popular with the electorate.

[@brianclough]

Obviously a huge mistake by Kerr. The GG's duty is to receive advise, to advise and to warn. He failed to do the latter 2. At no stage did he ever advise or caution Whitlam that he had misgivings or worry about the Budget passing. Instead he met Fraser who warned and adivised him that he had to do something. Note that Kerr in doing what he did only took action against Whitlam but never to Fraser. He wanted to show he had power but he had n npower over the LotO. He only wielded power against his PM, his principal advisor. And he wrongly sought advise from the CJ, who was a known Coalition supporter. The CJ carries no weight on his own and was outnumbered in 2 recent cases against the Govt. Instead of consulting with the incumbent SG he consulted with the ex-SG - a coalition appointment. He refused to see the Speaker after the confidence vote, kept him waiting1 1/2 hours, before dissolving the House on Fraser's advise, when Fraser had lost the vote of confidence. He ignored the will of Parliament, he acted on his power trip. He never sought advice from the Queen, who would have almost surely advised against such a drastic measure. Instead he took advice from Martin Chateris, her PPS, who had no power to give any advice. He turned a political crisis which was about to be resolved, several coalition Senators, were about to back down, and turned it into a constitutional crisis. Little wonder that he died in ignominy. Just as Whitlam predicted, nothing would save him. Keating best summed him up, a GG who could not be honest with his PM, a man who showed him much respect and even agreed to let him serve 2 terms as GG. He did not even serve 1, forced to resign in humiliation in 1977 after a drunken display at the Melbourne Cup.

[@philipgould4438]

Hahaha My dear Brian, you've had 49 years to rewrite history and you've chosen to do it here.

[@marksteelejr]

Actually Kerr was right and under section 64 he had the duty and right to do so. Kerr was a ALP supporter, therefore he thought about country over politics and got the job done. the rest is politicing.

[@edthebumblingfool]

what happened in the election after the dismisal when the people got to select?

[@marksteelejr]

@edthebumblingfool coliation super majority

[@jackrussell4437]

The people spoke and didn’t want Whitlam any longer thus vindicating the GG’s actions. The same in NSW in 1932 when the State Governor sacked Premier Lang for illegalities.

[@PetesTools.BiggestFan]

America owns Australian..

[@edthebumblingfool]

not yet

[@indigocheetah4172]

Is that North America, or South America, or one of the countries on either?

[@MrGutfeeling]

Zionists own the USA and Australia.

[@sentimentalbloke185]

America will kowtow to China before your life time is done.