Overview
- On November 11, 1975, Governor‑General Sir John Kerr dismissed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, dissolved parliament and triggered an election, a step without precedent in Australia.
- The immediate catalyst was Opposition Leader Malcolm Fraser’s refusal to pass supply, which created a real risk the government would run out of money.
- Journalists and MPs recall chaos inside Old Parliament House as the governor‑general’s secretary, Sir David Smith, read the proclamation to loud boos and chants.
- Whitlam responded with his famous rebuke on the steps of Parliament, even as many of his social policy reforms later persisted under the Fraser government with tighter budgets.
- Half a century later, analysts note the episode remains divisive and the governor‑general retains the same reserve powers, with no substantive constitutional change.