Exclusive to Saxton
(Edward) Gough Whitlam, AC 1987, QC 1962, MHR 1952-78, was Prime Minister from December 1972 to November 1975. Born in Melbourne on 11 July 1916, he attended the University of Sydney (BA, LLB) and was a flight-lieutenant navigator in the Pacific War. He was admitted to the New South Wales bar in 1947.
When Whitlam became Prime Minister in 1972 he abolished conscription, withdrew the remaining Australian troops from Vietnam, banned sporting teams from South Africa, changed Australia's voting on South African questions in the UN, organised independence for PNG, abolished tertiary fees and the death penalty, introduced welfare payments for single parent families and reduced the voting age to 18 years.
Whitlam retained responsibility for the arts, establishing the Australian National Gallery. He also laid the foundation stone and placed the contract for the High Court building in Canberra. Whitlam has written three books. The Truth of The Matter deals with the famous dismissal by the Governor General, Sir John Kerr, on 11 November 1975. The Whitlam Government 1972-1975 traces the development as well as the implementation of his policies. Published in 1997, Abiding Interests covers his activities at home and abroad after Parliament. His latest work, My Italian Notebook, was published in March 2002.
Whitlam resigned from parliament in 1978 to pursue an academic career after losing the 1975 and 1977 elections. He became the first National Fellow at ANU. In 1979, he was visiting Professor at Harvard and in 1983, at the University of Adelaide. He was chairman of the Australia-China Council from 1986-91 and chairman of the Council of the National Gallery of Australia from 1987-90. In 1988 The World Conservation Union (IUCN) made him a Member of Honour. He served on the Executive Board of Unesco, the World Heritage Committee and the University of Sydney Senate till the end of 1989. During 1989 he was patron of the Australian National Council for the Celebration of the Bicentenary of the French Revolution.
In 1993 he became founder of the Hanoi Architectural Heritage Foundation, a member of the Australian Olympic Committee delegation to Africa, a corresponding member of the Academy of Athens and an honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
In his semi-retirement he has enjoyed the role of elder statesman. He has written accounts of his political career, and his renowned facility with words and his sharp, quick wit mean that currently he is in demand as a popular speaker.
Travels from New South Wales
Click to Read Client Comments about Gough Whitlam
Click to Read our Introduction to Gough Whitlam
Explore Related Categories:
Issues, International |
|
