The Legacy of Edward Gough Whitlam

I was 6 months old in November 1975. While I have no memories of his time in office, Whitlam’s effect on my life in Australia in 2014 is still profound.

The Positive

·         Universal Health Care

If you don’t pay a cent when you go to the doctors, you have Gough Whitlam to thank for it.  Malcolm Fraser tried to turn the clock back upon his election and destroy Medibank, but Gough,s dream was reintroduced by Bob Hawke as Medicare. Even Hard Line Conservative John Howard knew not to play with fire and touch Medicare. As for Mr Abbott, time will tell, but it’s clear that Australians like Medicare and wish to keep it. If you have any doubt about the success of Medicare, compare the spending per Capita in Healthcare between us and the United States.

·         China

Gough Whitlam flew to China in 1971 as opposition leader. At the time China was a Pariah state, a victim of international communism who’s true leadership lay on the island of Taiwan. China is now our largest trading partner.

·         The quintessentially Australian Election Campaign

“Its Time” set the standard, a standard which has never been bettered

·         Race Relations in Australia and Overseas

Gough ordered the Australian Delegation at the United Nations to vote for sanctions against South Africa and Rhodesia due to the apartheid regimes. At home he overrode racist state laws, made it illegal to discriminate by Race through the Racial Discrimination Act, but he’s most remembered for the return of the Gurundji’ peoples land in 1975, symbolising Aboriginal peoples connection to Country by pouring sand through Vincent Lingiari’s hand.

·         Equal Pay for Women

Whitlam reopened an equal pay case at the Commonwealth Concilliation and Arbitration Commision. This raised the pay by 30% of 500,000 women in Australia. As a child of a single mother I am certain that few actions taken by an Australian Government could have had a greater effect on Child Poverty than Equal Pay for Women.

·         Independence for Papua New Guinea

Until the Whitlam Government granted Papua New Guinea (PNG) independence they were a colony of Australia. PNG’s destiny is now in the hands of  PNG

PNG Parliament House

·         Signed the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty

Menzies and the Coalition Government had always had Nuclear Ambitions for this nation. The Lucas Heights Nuclear Reactor was just the start. Whitlam felt this was folly and consigned Australia’s Nuclear ambition to the dustbin of history.

Lucas Heights Nuclear Facility

·         Placed the Birth Control Pill on the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme

The oral contraceptive pill is one of the most  life altering inventions of the modern age, bringing sexual freedom to women. The Whitlam Government placed it on the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme(PBS) itself a Labor reform from 1948.

·         Abolished the Death Penalty

The Whitlam Government passed the Death Penalty Abolition Act in 1973. Enough said.

Ronald Ryan. The last man to receive the Death Penalty in Australia

·         Lowered the Voting Age

18 Year olds were being conscripted and sent to war when they didn’t even have a say in the matter at the Ballot Box. Whitlam fixed this.

·         Ended Conscription

The Whitlam Government ended the forced acquisition of young people to serve under arms.  It was called the lottery of death. Although by the time he was PM combat troops had already been withdrawn.

·         Withdrawal from Vietnam

Prime Minister McMahon had already withdrawn combat troops from Vietnam by the time Whitlam came into office, however Whitlam finished the job.

·         The Sewering of Western Sydney

Another reform that brought millions out of poverty. In the early 1970’s many of Sydneys outer suburbs were not sewered. The Whitlam Government introduced the National Sewerage Program which aimed to change that. If you live in Western Sydney. Every time you use the Loo. Remember Gough.

·         Triple J

Australia needed a non profit radio station that would play the music that the commercials wouldn’t. We still do. The fact we have one is courtesy of the Whitlam Government.

The Negative

No-one is perfect and Gough did adversely affect Australia too:

·         Fiscal Responsibility

There is no doubt about it, Spending under Whitlam skyrocketed. 1973 Saw an oil crisis and a global downturn. The pace of expensive social reforms continued during the crisis. It could be argued that a slowing down of the pace of reform could have averted the crisis that ultimately brought about his dismissal.

·         The Dismissal

Gough played his hand quite poorly during the lead up to, and just after being dismissed by Sir John Kerr. His appointment of Kerr proved to be extremely poor judgement.

·         Defeat

Whitlam was resoundingly rejected by the Australian people in 1975. The Double Dissolution arranged by Kerr and Fraser elected the Fraser Government. The 1978 election proved that 1975 was no fluke.

Summing Up

            Whitlam is a figure of hope. We remember him as a champion of the poor and the downtrodden. Equal pay for women, Land Rights for Aborigines, Universal Health Care are his greatest legacies. There may never be another like Gough. I’ll leave the last words to him though: When asked about meeting his maker Gough joked, “You can be sure of one thing, I shall treat Him as an equal.”