Witness History
Witness History
'The Dismissal' of Gough Whitlam
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December 8, 2022
9 minutes
Available for over a year
In November 1975, the Australian Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, was controversially sacked by an unelected official in the country's biggest constitutional crisis.
Many Australians were outraged and rumours spread that Buckingham Palace was involved. It became known simply as 'The Dismissal'.
Paul Kelly was a political correspondent in the Australian parliament that day. He shares his memories with Ben Henderson.
(Photo: Gough Whitlam in 1975. Credit: George Lipman/Fairfax Media via Getty Images)