I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that the 50th anniversary of the Whitlam Government's election will be marked on 2 December 2022; and

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) the Whitlam Government's reforms modernised Australian society and its economy; and

(b) the impact of Prime Minister Whitlam's policies continues to define Australia and the political landscape.

This Friday, 50 years ago, on 2 December 1972, the Hon. Gough Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party into government. It was the first Labor government in 23 years. For my family, it was a time of hope for a better Australia. My mum and dad were always politically interested. They were excited that working-class people like them from the outer suburbs would have their voices elevated to the national stage. They lived in Mr Whitlam's electorate. Although young, I remember the change of hope for them then and the 'It's time' stickers on the car and my bike. Whitlam offered Australians a progressive vision, one that looked to a federal government that actively fixed the issues that faced the country. On that day, the Australian people gave Whitlam a mandate to implement that change.

This change affected other families, not just mine. I was talking to the member for Dobell, the Hon. Emma McBride, and she explained to me how the Whitlam government changed Australia and the life of her father, the late Hon. Grant McBride. Her uncle, Shaun, today confirmed a story that was told to Emma many years ago. It was Sunday morning, and he was reading the Nation Review and spotted an advertisement for an electorate officer in Werriwa. It was after the dismissal, and he said to her dad, 'Don't just talk about it; do something about it'. Her dad, maintaining the enthusiasm and the rage, applied for the role. He was culled by Whitlam's private secretary, as he didn't have the necessary experience. But, as the story goes, Whitlam hadn't worked with an engineer before, so Grant, a young man from housing commission in Dundas Valley who worked three jobs to support himself through uni, was now working for a former PM who made education free. It instilled in him a belief that politics, although flawed, is the way that people without connections or resources can change the country. The McBride family are deeply grateful for the chance that Gough took on their dad.

The social and economic program that was taken to the 1972 election was broad and far reaching, yet it was captured in the simple and famous slogan, 'It's time.' It was time for Australia to move on from economic and political stagnation, and it was time for Australia to establish itself in the Pacific and throughout the world. That was one of the legacies of the Whitlam government. In the three short years of his government, he radically transformed the Australian economy and laid the foundation for what is modern-day Australia.

It can't be understated how significant the Whitlam era was for Australia, because Whitlam believed that government programs could improve the conditions of everyday Australians, and he delivered on those ambitions. Within the first few weeks of government, Whitlam and the deputy prime minister Lance Barnard ended conscription, established diplomatic relations with China, reopened an equal-pay case and withdrew all remaining troops from Vietnam. In its first year, his government passed 203 bills. The domestic policies of the Whitlam era elevated Australians all over the country. It saw the complete restructuring of the relationship between government and education. Whitlam oversaw the abolition of university fees and an increase in government spending to state schools by 677 per cent whilst he was attempting to close the gap between private and public schools.

It was under the Whitlam government that we saw the introduction of non-discriminatory immigration rules and the Racial Discrimination Act and the enthusiastic pursuit of multiculturalism—something that we see all over Australia today but particularly in the electorate of Werriwa that he represented.

It was the Whitlam government that improved our suburbs, whether they be in south-west Sydney or across Australia. The legacy of the Whitlam government can be felt across south-west Sydney. He was the first and so-far only Prime Minister to come from our part of the world and we are very proud of that. His legacy is echoed throughout the area I represent. There are buildings and parks named in his honour. The Whitlam Institute houses the Whitlam Prime Ministerial Collection of more than 35,000 objects and is a centre of ideas and political engagement. The Whitlam government was the foundation of the modern Labor Party and I take pride in the accomplishments of his government. We remember a Labor government that truly uplifted the people of Australia, that established Australia in our region and in the world and that changed us all forever.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Wilkie ): Is the motion seconded?

Mr Gosling: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

link to Hansard: Full Motion