The 1975 Constitutional Crisis - The Whitlam Dismissal

In November the 11th 1975 history was made with the Whitlam government being dismissed some say this was bigger then the turn of the century. Whitlam was the first of the new-style Labor leaders. Following an attempt by Whitlam to appoint the former leader of the Democratic Labor Party, Senator Vince Gair, as Ambassador to Ireland, the Opposition Leader, Bill Snedden, threatened to force an election by blocking Supply in the Senate. Whitlam responded by calling …

…acted as Chairman of Care Australia. Gough Whitlam retired from Parliament in 1978, following another massive election defeat in 1977. Ironically, he was appointed by the Hawke government as Ambassador to UNESCO in the early 1980s. When he turned 80, even Prime Minister John Howard issued a congratulatory press release. Whitlam published an account of his years in office in 1985, calling it simply "The Whitlam Government". Named a "living national treasure" in 1997, "Abiding Interests" is a recent publication.