Show Notes
November 1975: Australia was in a crisis. The Whitlam Government had passed a supply bill in the House of Representatives but the Coalition, led by Malcolm Fraser, was blocking its passage in the Senate. The Senate had never impeded the Government like this before and by the end of November the money the Government could spend would run out. Public servants would not be paid unless the impasse was resolved. The Coalition wanted an early election. Whitlam wanted the Senate to capitulate and accept the mandate of the Labor Government that had been elected in 1972 and re-elected in 1974 and let it continue to govern.On 11th November 1975, Gough Whitlam drove to Government House in Yarralumla to advise the Governor-General John Kerr to hold a half-Senate election. Whitlam believed that if the Senate was stopping supply from passing then they should be the ones to face the judgment of the people. However, Kerr had a different resolution to the crisis in mind. Kerr exercised the reserve powers, dismissed Whitlam and appointed Malcolm Fraser as Prime Minister. Fraser called for a double dissolution election and Whitlam, despite a majority in the House of Representatives, went to the election as the Leader of the Opposition instead of Prime Minister. This event has gone down in history known simply as "the dismissal." It's steeped in controversy, speculation, and even to this day as some mystery as not everything in the National Archives relating to Kerr has been released.But we do know plenty more than we used to thanks to Professor Jenny Hocking, a historian and author who went to the High Court to secure access to the Palace Letters (communication between Kerr and the Palace while he was Governor-General). She's written multiple books about the life of Gough Whitlam so I decided to interview her about her views on the history of the dismissal and the events that led up to it.Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplainedFollow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/auspolexplained.bsky.social Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auspolexplained/ Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Explained-107892180702388Auspol Explained would like to acknowledge the Whadjuk Nyoongar people and their Elders as the owners and custodians of the Land that the episode was recorded and edited on. This Land was stolen and never ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.
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