Gough Whitlam Dismissal

Gough Whitlam was dismissed as a result of the many drastic changes his government had implimented shortly after his election. Though the immediate withdrawal of troops from Vietnam was greatly supported, Whitlam's great benefits for women, the elderly, single mothers and Aborigines was seen as a threat to the previous Australian way of life. The changes went against everything the Liberal government, of the previous twenty-three years had sought to protect- the private sector. Increased …

…Whitlam's best attempts to justify the position of the government. This vulnerability led to the dismissal of Whitlam by Governor General John Kerr on November 11, 1975. This historic dismissal raised the issues of Senate domination, the rights of a Governor General to take such radical action and the right of the Senate to refuse supply. Though their actions were legal by law, they were by no means ethical, and broke conventions laid down in the past.