I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that 11 November 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the removal of the Government of Prime Minister Whitlam; and

(2) acknowledges:

(a) the work of Professor Jenny Hocking to ensure that the historical events that happened at that time are documented;

(b) that the reforms of Prime Minister Whitlam's Government modernised Australian society and its economy; and

(c) that the impact of Prime Minister Whitlam's policies continue to define Australia's political landscape.

The community I have the privilege of serving in this place is one that I have lived in all my life, which means I remember many of the members for Werriwa. The Honourable Edward Gough Whitlam was Prime Minister while I was in high school. I remember the exhilaration of my parents at the election of the Labor government after 23 years of conservative rule and the changes that they were so looking forward to. I remember him coming to my high school, who were celebrating their first multicultural day, and speaking to our students.

This day in 1975 in many ways demonstrated how much that had changed already in Australia. Every culture was celebrated, discussed and admired. No-one was made to feel less. We were one, altogether. The Whitlam government was elected with a mandate to implement change and they left a legacy that is amazing, accomplishing so much in three short years, changing Australia for the better and laying the groundwork for the opportunities and successes we've enjoyed in the years since.

The Whitlam era was significant for Australia. His government believed it could improve the conditions for everyday Australians. In the first few weeks, conscription ended, diplomatic relations with China began, and the remaining troops returned home from Vietnam. This government also introduced universal health care, known as Medibank—which was dismantled after the Dismissal by the Fraser government, until Hawke brought it back as the Medicare we now know; the Racial Discrimination Act; non-discriminatory immigration rules and the enthusiastic pursuit of multiculturalism; increased spending on social housing; and the abolition of tertiary education fees, allowing many people, and many in this House, to attend university when it was previously out of reach. The Whitlam government introduced payments for single parents, allowing people the space to leave relationships, particularly if they were dangerous. The government for the first time supported refugees and women leaving domestic violence. There was equal pay for women in the workforce. Fifty years later, it is amazing to think that women doing the same job didn't earn the same pay. That changed with Whitlam. There was the establishment of the Australian Legal Aid Office. There was the passing of the Family Law Act, which introduced no-fault divorce, making such a difficult time better for families. Many of the suburbs in Werriwa did not have access to basic sewerage when Whitlam was elected. His government ensured that this was addressed as a public-health measure.

But all those reforms came to an abrupt halt when, on 11 November 1975, the Governor-General sacked Prime Minister Whitlam. This was a difficult time for Australia and our community. I still remember the day vividly. I came home from school to find my mother in a flood of tears. When I asked who died, thinking that could have been the only explanation, she told me it was much worse than that—that Mr Whitlam had been sacked. She was fearful about what would happen next, as I'm sure many were at the time. In this time of uncertainty, it was, however, Mr Whitlam's composure and strength that ensured the election campaign remained a contest of ideas. He asked the Australian people, famously, to maintain their rage and enthusiasm.

Professor Jenny Hocking, one of Australia's eminent biographers, fought hard and at great personal risk to ensure the events that led to the dismissal were discovered and made available to the Australian people. Her tenacity ensured that it is now part of our history. She needed to take her case to the High Court so that she could get access to the Palace letters. Her goal was to see whether there had been external circumstances which led to the dismissal. And what she found demystified the events and allowed a fuller explanation of what led up to the events of 11 November 1975. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the dismissal, it's timely in this place that changes and shapes so much of our public life in Australia and a place that Gough dominated for decades that we acknowledge Whitlam's life and the efforts of people like Jenny Hocking, who have meticulously recorded it.


Link to Hansard: Full Speech