Former prime minister Gough Whitlam, whose death at age 98 was announced on Tuesday, left significant legacies from his short time in office. Whatever their condition today, many of his government’s initiatives…
Before the Asian Century, it was Gough Whitlam that gave Australians the confidence to enhance their place in the world.
Alan Porritt/AAP
“Where were you when Gough was sacked?” This of course refers to Remembrance Day, 11 November, 1975, when the elected prime minister Gough Whitlam was sacked by Governor-General Sir John Kerr in cahoots…
Reforming prime ministers don’t always have the luxury of choice.
Julian Smith/AAP
“Men make history,” Karl Marx wrote in 1859 in his Critique of Political Economy, “but not always in circumstances of their own choosing”. Whitlam himself would have chosen a different year to be his time…
Gough Whitlam took principled revisionism to the very top of Labor politics.
AAP/Sergio Dionisio
There was nothing inevitable about Gough Whitlam’s rise to the top. He had to fight every inch of the way. The fight was not only against born-to-rule Liberals who thought he had betrayed his class but…
In office, the late Gough Whitlam sought to fulfil, rather than to end, the promise of capitalism.
AAP/Alan Porritt
The popular response to Gough Whitlam’s death tells us more about the politics of the present than the past. Whitlam has been cast as a messiah; as Labor’s saviour; and as the slayer of what Paul Keating…
Gough Whitlam was a transformational prime minister.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
A mark of a great leader is what’s left of the legacy generations later. It’s four decades since the tumultuous Whitlam government, and his large handprint is still all over modern Australia. Whitlam was…
2010’s Animal Kingdom – one of many films to benefit from the legacies of the Whitlam government.
EPA/Simon Mein/Sony Pictures
Filmmakers and audiences – indeed Australian arts and screen culture more broadly – owe a deep debt of gratitude to Gough Whitlam and the government he led. Although the foundations had been laid by Whitlam’s…
The greatest tribute that can be paid to Gough Whitlam is the fact that he is so fondly remembered by so many. The affection for Whitlam is contagious for those who admired the vision he had for Australia…
Gough Whitlam addresses crowds after the dismissal.
moadoph.gov.au
Former prime minister Gough Whitlam has died at the age of 98. His family said in a short statement that he died this morning. “A loving and generous father, he was a source of inspiration to us and our…
Gough Whitlam’s legacy in the arts first hit me as a little indie-music nerd in the 1990s. The inner-city Sydney band The Whitlams made a funny little music video about their namesake, a bloke who was…
The Whitlam government’s legacy continues to be felt today, close to four decades since it lost office.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
Gough Whitlam, Labor prime minister from 1972 to 1975, has died aged 98. A giant of modern Australian politics, his passing triggered a flood of tributes on Tuesday morning. In a statement, current Labor…
Gough Whitlam speaking to crowds outside parliament house on the day of the dismissal.
National Library of Australia
Former prime minister Gough Whitlam has died at the age of 98. His family said in a short statement that he died this morning. “A loving and generous father, he was a source of inspiration to us and our…
The Sunday Age on the morning after Gough Whitlam’s 1972 election victory.
The following was delivered as the 2014 Dean Jaensch Lecture at Flinders University, September 16. In opposition, Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott were fond of comparing their battles to become the nation’s…
Labor is bleeding votes both to the right and to the left. Is this because of its struggle to ‘brand’ itself in today’s political landscape?
AAP/Daniel Munoz
In the wake of the ALP’s poor result in the recent Western Australia Senate election, The Conversation is publishing a series of articles looking at the party’s brand, organisation and future prospects…
Governments in Australia appear to be voted out when they veer to far to the political Left or Right. Are we just a nation of centrists?
AAP/Alan Porritt
Ongoing reflections on the fall of the Rudd/Gillard Labor governments continue to feature suggestions about the impact of policy shifts to the Left, especially under Gillard (possibly influenced by her…
The Sydney Opera House is not the only cultural institution celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2013.
AAP Image/Quentin Jones
As you’ve no doubt noticed, celebrations are underway to mark the 40th anniversary of the Sydney Opera House – and that’s as it should be. But this year marks a few other “40ths” that have had a tremendous…
AWU boss Paul Howes is pushing for social privatisation of government infrastructure to improve our cities. Should the ALP take heed of his advice?
AAP/Dave Hunt
In the aftermath of the devastating defeat at the election, it may well be best for the Labor Party to adopt the saying of Chairman Mao and “let a hundred flowers blossom” in the search for new ideas…
Are leadership battles in Australian politics a sign of party difference or unity? Or is it something altogether different?
AAP/Lukas Coch
In a scene in the famous 90s sitcom Seinfeld, George describes to Jerry an idea for a show about nothing. After the events of the last days and weeks in federal and state politics, we can ask whether Australian…
Old foes Gough Whitlam (left) and Malcolm Fraser (right) unite over modern issues.
AAP/Bruce Postle
Politics, Independence and the National Interest: the legacy of power and how to achieve a peaceful Western Pacific I am honoured to be asked to make this speech. During the turbulent years of the 1970s…
Honorary (Senior Fellow) School of Culture and Communication University of Melbourne. Editor in Chief, Design and Art of Australia Online, The University of Melbourne