The Dismissal (End)

[Australianhunter]

someone give me the background music

[hswforme]

@Australianhunter Agree......this music to this clip is haunting and so appropriate.

[Anon371]

Whitlam was sacked on the same day he was going to inform the Senate that he had documented evidence that Pine Gap Base was oeprated by the CIA. John Kerr was oredered to dismiss Whitlam by Henry Kissinger to prevent the base being closed down.

[nickfar22]

@Anon371 yeah alright mate

[dm3830]

you are a fool and a tool mak1rk, I bet you benefited from free education - didnt you now? Give the money back.

Fraser at least acted according to his conscience, Kerr acted accoding to his appalling vanity.

[mak1rk]

Thank God for Kerr, saving the country from even more wasteful Whitlamesque spending.

[Ken0009100]

Malcom Fraser has reconciled with Gough Whitlam in some form like they worked together for the Referendum add and John Howard and some of the Liberals dumped him and think they wasted time with Fraser and those 7 years.

[chitchant]

Still waiting fro the APOLOGY from Malcolm Fraser. Fraser has come so far to the left, even resigned from the Libs, do the right thing Fraser, put the APOLOGY on top of your bucket list, and do it before Gough passes away.

Gough, you gave us our country back, then Marshall Green (US), Garfield Barwick and Fraser stole our democracy.

[Ken0009100]

@chitchant The day after Tony Abbott replaced Turnball Fraser needs to lighten up I mean him quitting the Liberal party was silly he said there not liberal, well he kicked out 3 leaders in one form or the other, he helped kick out Prime Minister Sir John Gorton, challenged Bill Snedden and dumped him just like with Turnball so he has a problem in some way and his involvement by convincing Kerr to sack Whitlam and make himself Fraser caretaker Prime Minister. So he has a problem these days

[TheChapaqua]

Constitutional precedents are common in young countries. it's common for precedents to occur where the existing constituion may or may not have mechanisms for dealnig with particular crisis'. This was a classic example. The question for the first time in the nation's history, was 'well, what now?'.

[posty110]

Classic min series



[personaliteh]

Kerr had the strength to do what was expected of him - fortunately he had a conscience and was not prepared to the bullied by the arrogance of Whitlam. He did what was best by the country and democracy. If the decision had been wrong Whitlam would not have been beaten by the biggest margin in Australian electoral history.

[DaveHorse1]

Well said the Queen/GG have a duty to have in their commission a govt that can get its bills through and GW's ministers could not therefore he had to go. BUT Kerr could have handle it better (ie behind the scenes) he could have merely called an election, this would have appeared less partisan, and GW would have been less of a martyr.

[rupertslander]

@DaveHorse1 Kerr couldn't just call an election without commissioning Fraser because double dissolution was desired - a DD is illegal unless there's a legislative impasse. The GG needs physical evidence of that legislative impasse before he can issue writs - i.e. written copies of the HoR bills the Senate is rejecting. Unless the GG is to send henchmen into PH to seize the docs... the only proper way proof can be furnished is via the PM. Whitlam wouldn't have done that so Kerr needed a new PM.

[DaveHorse1]

@rupertslander Yes your right, my point was the politics could have been handled better especially when we consider that we now know GW was finished. But you may be on to something: I think officially at least it the SPeaker of the HoR's job to inform the GG of rejection of their bills. Too much went on behind the scenes!

[nellkh]

but harsh and he was consitutionally able to do it, if he didn't whitlam would have been running a government without supply (money) because the senate blocked it, kerr couldnt allow that.We have to remember the context of the time, he was a reformist and he made alot of changes very quickly and heaps of ppl werent ready for it, personally i think whitlam was great he just went about things the wrong way, ie the loans affair, appointing un-trustworthy ministers and being un-trustworthy himself

[lffit]

creep that Frazer, he was minister for defence when I was called up for the first national service intake in 1965, we were told shortly after induction that we were going to Vietnam, big surprise!! because the Americans asked us for a contribution, it has now been revealed that was a lie, we asked to be included, some seventy of us Nasho's died there "shame Frazer shame"

[InformationMinister]

Hearing Gough say those words "Men and Women of Australia" it just ehoes and sounds marvelous.

[Kiwifrank]

I agree, Flynnster93, this was one of Kennedy Miller's best mini-series. It was superbly crafted and made a political event into Shakespearean tragedy. I'd luv to buy a copy of the DVD...

[aardmark85]

gough and malcolm are now best buddies.

[RDKF13]

Yeah, they stick up for each other.

[Flynnster93]

One of Kennedy Miller's best mini-series.

[timcmaeder]

One Angry Bogan

[ruddsadudd]

RUDD'S A DUDD

[InformationMinister]

"Well may we say god save the queen, because nothing will save the govenor general!" classic.

[supremerat]

30 years after the Second World War and this happened. Thirty years after the events of the 25th of April 1915, this happened. What a terrible day for that to happen. Out of all the days to do some thing, they had to choose that day out of 365.

[empire161]

What are you on about??

If you are referring to Remembrance Day, then that was 11th November, not ANZAC Day.

[supremerat]

I was talking about Remembrance Day. But it was still 60 years after the ANZAC DAY.

[blah3939393]

he had to, that was the last day kerr could announce for an election. the election was held on the 13 of december and fraser steamrolled to victory for reasons many.

doesn't take away from the fact he was a tool, but at least he seems to be showing some form of guilt in his later life...