50 Years on from The Dismissal

11 November marks the 50th anniversary of the removal of the Whitlam Government in 1975. This was picked up and publicised by republicans drawing on the extensive research of former ARM National Council member, Professor Jenny Hocking in the early 2000s that ended up in a High Court case to ensure the release of crucial documents in the National Archives showing that the role of the Palace in the sacking was much more extensive than understood up until then. It should be noted, however, that there was no smoking gun in this evidence pointing to a direction made by Queen Elizabeth herself to remove the Prime Minister and his Government. Her advisers were essentially confidants of the Governor-General or narrow, bit players like Prince Charles. The decision to sack Gough Whitlam and call an election to let the people decide the next Government was taken by the Governor-General alone consulting some others for advice. To mark this event, ARM Co-chair Esther Anatolitis and Professor Hocking spoke in conversation at the Whitlam Dismissal Symposium held in Canberra. This action of the Governor-General’s was not even enough to spur voters to demand severing constitutional ties with Britain and nothing has come remotely close in the passion stakes since.