Whitlam sacking why

Explain your answer. Look carefully at all the images for this defining moment. Tell this story in pictures by placing them in whatever order you think works best.

Write a short caption under each image. What else would you like to know about this defining moment? Write a list of questions and then share these with your classmates. As a group create a final list of three questions and conduct some research to find the answers. On 11 November Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and his Labor government became the first and only government in Australian history to be dismissed by the Governor-General.

After the dismissal, an election was held and the Whitlam government was defeated. The dismissal was a controversial decision, and people still debate whether it was the correct thing for a Governor-General to do. Who was leader of the Opposition in October ? Which political party was this person a member of? As part of the election campaign, Whitlam had promised to end military conscription , improve education and health care, and increase the rights of women, migrants and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Whitlam government had won a majority in the House of Representatives , but not in the Senate. This meant that the Opposition could block many government Bills from passing through the Senate. But the Whitlam government could still pass a large number of Bills, fulfilling many of its election promises. The Dismissal - 20th Anniversary , by John Shakespeare. Gough Whitlam and supporters demonstrate against the dismissal of his government on the steps of parliament, 11 November Gough Whitlam pouring a handful of red soil into the hands of Vincent Lingiari, by Mervyn Bishop, She plans to travel from Melbourne to Canberra to access the letters once coronavirus-related travel restrictions are lifted, local media reported.

Her legal challenge, which initially failed in a lower court last year, had been crowdfunded by a "Release the Palace Letters" campaign. Obituary: Gough Whitlam. Image source, Getty Images. What happened to Gough Whitlam? Gough Whitlam raged against his sacking in What are the letters?

Related Topics. Queen Elizabeth II Australia. This Flagpost touches on a few key events of the Whitlam Government culminating in the dismissal. It does not explore the Whitlam legacy or legal reforms. From the its election in December the Labor government's legislative program met resistance in the Senate, where half of the membership had been elected in November and half in November In the Opposition in the Senate made the passage of money bills conditional on the Government calling an election.

Whitlam secured a dissolution of both Houses in April after the Senate twice rejected bills intended to establish Medibank, ensure one vote one value in elections for the House of Representatives, and introduce senators for the Territories. Six bills were considered by the Government to have fulfilled the requirements of section 57 of the Constitution to be treated as double dissolution bills. At the 18 May election the Government was re-elected with a majority of seats in the House, but not a majority of Senators.

The Medibank and electoral bills were then passed at the first—and to date only— joint sitting of both Houses of the Parliament held on 6—7 August After heated debate about the Khemlani loans scandal and the state of the economy, the Liberal Party used its numbers in the Senate to defer Supply. On 16 October the Opposition announced that it would not support the passage of Supply unless the Prime Minister agreed to the calling of a new election for the House.

Whitlam refused, declaring that it was unconstitutional for the Senate to decide who should hold government. From July , when the 29th Parliament commenced, to November , 21 bills were regarded as fulfilling the requirements of section 57, having been twice rejected by the Senate.