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107-556: Dick was born about 1920 on Langu-narnji Island, joined to Mornington Island by a sandbank at low tide, and part of the North Wellesley Islands group in the Gulf of Carpentaria . He was given the tribal name Goobalathaldin. His mother, Kuthakin, gave birth to him under a clump of Pandanus palms . His father's name was Kiwarbija. Dick's early memories were of his mother carrying him while she hunted for food. His young life

214-590: A " quean ", he apologised. The ALP had been out of office since the Chifley Government's defeat in 1949 and, since 1951, had been under the leadership of Bert Evatt , whom Whitlam greatly admired. In 1954, the ALP seemed likely to return to power. The Prime Minister, Robert Menzies , adroitly used the defection of a Soviet official to his advantage, and his coalition of the Liberal and Country parties

321-599: A 7.1 per cent two-party swing, the largest to not result in a change of government. Although the Coalition was returned for an eighth term in government, it was with a slim majority of three seats, down from 19 prior to the election. Labor actually won a bare majority of the two-party vote and only DLP preferences, especially in Melbourne-area seats, kept Whitlam from becoming prime minister. The 1970 half-Senate election brought little change to Coalition control, but

428-401: A body of work that exists today as a record of an emerging contemporary Aboriginal art movement. Roughsey established himself as a well-respected artist and supporter of cultural heritage projects that protect Indigenous culture. His work with Trezise to record the position of ancient Aboriginal sites and important rock paintings was one of the first of its kind and focused on knowledge within

535-594: A campaign featuring the Labor slogan "Give Gough a fair go", the Whitlam government was returned , with its majority in the House of Representatives cut from seven to five and its Senate seats increased by three. It was only the second time since Federation that a Labor government had been elected to a second full term. The government and the opposition each had 29 Senators with two seats held by independents. The deadlock over

642-478: A clear lead in the polls; indeed, for the first time since 1955 its support was greater than the combined vote for the Coalition and DLP. Unemployment was at a ten-year peak, rising to 2.14 per cent in August (though the unemployment rate was calculated differently compared to the present, and did not include thousands of rural workers on Commonwealth-financed relief work). Inflation was also at its highest rate since

749-493: A clear majority in the House of Representatives, was being held to ransom by the Senate. The crisis ended in mid-November, when governor-general Sir John Kerr dismissed him from office and commissioned the opposition leader, Malcolm Fraser , as caretaker prime minister. Labor lost the subsequent election by a landslide. Whitlam stepped down as leader of the party after losing again at the 1977 election , and retired from parliament

856-515: A few years in manual jobs such as stockman , deckhand, fisherman, sailor and yardman before serving in the Second World War . When returning from service, Roughsey returned to Mornington Island where he began family life with wife, Elsie. Roughsey began to show interest in painting and, after meeting Percy Trezise , began to develop a personal style that was saleable to a new art market. Roughsey began to work with oil paints and established

963-592: A generation, since DLP supporters chose the Liberal Party in preferential voting . Whitlam supported Evatt throughout this period. In 1955, a redistribution divided Whitlam's electorate of Werriwa in two, with his Cronulla home located in the new electorate of Hughes . Although Whitlam would have received ALP support in either division, he chose to continue standing for Werriwa and moved from Cronulla to Cabramatta . This meant even longer journeys for his older children to attend school, since neither electorate had

1070-566: A girls' school was not unusual for small boys at the time). After a year there, he attended Mowbray House School and Knox Grammar School in the suburbs of Sydney. Fred Whitlam was promoted again in 1927, this time to Assistant Crown Solicitor. The position was located in the new national capital of Canberra , and the Whitlam family moved there. As of 2008, Whitlam was the only prime minister to have spent his formative years in Canberra. At

1177-524: A government with his new majority. This was in accordance with longstanding Australian constitutional practice. Convention also held that McMahon would stay on as caretaker prime minister until the full results were in. However, Whitlam was unwilling to wait that long. On 5   December, per Whitlam's request, Hasluck swore Whitlam and Labor's deputy leader, Lance Barnard , as an interim two-man government , with Whitlam as prime minister and Barnard as deputy prime minister. The two men held 27 portfolios during

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1284-463: A handful of votes of winning the cliffhanger 1961 election . He had not wanted Whitlam as deputy leader, and believed Labor would have won if Ward had been in the position. Soon after the 1961 election, events began to turn against Labor. When President Sukarno of Indonesia announced that he intended to take over West New Guinea as the colonial Dutch departed, Calwell responded by declaring that Indonesia must be stopped by force. Calwell's statement

1391-594: A high school at the time; they attended school in Sydney. Whitlam was appointed to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Constitutional Review in 1956. Biographer Jenny Hocking calls his service on the committee, which included members from all parties in both chambers of Parliament, one of the "great influences in his political development". According to Hocking, service on the committee caused Whitlam to focus not on internal conflicts consuming

1498-597: A house in seaside Cronulla . He also bought the block of land next door, using the prize money (£1,000 in security bonds) he received for winning the Australian National Quiz Championship in 1948 and 1949 (he was runner-up in 1950). He sought to make a career in the ALP there, but local Labor supporters were sceptical of Whitlam's loyalties, given his privileged background. In the postwar years, he practised law, concentrating on landlord/tenant matters, and sought to build his bona fides in

1605-619: A majority of nine in the House of Representatives. The ALP gained little beyond the suburban belts, however, losing a seat in South Australia and two in Western Australia . Whitlam took office with a majority in the House of Representatives, but without control of the Senate (elected in the 1967 and 1970 half-elections). The Senate at that time consisted of ten members from each of the six states, elected by single transferable vote . Historically, when Labor won government,

1712-468: A majority of voters in any state, and were rejected by over 800,000 votes nationwide. In 1974, the Senate refused to pass six bills after they were passed twice by the House of Representatives. With the Opposition threatening to disrupt money supply to government, Whitlam used the Senate's recalcitrance to trigger a double dissolution election, holding it instead of the half-Senate election. After

1819-417: A moderate swing to Labor and against the Coalition, compared with the general election the previous year. These federal victories, in which both Whitlam and Holt campaigned, helped give Whitlam the leverage he needed to carry out party reforms. At the end of 1967, Holt vanished while swimming in rough seas near Melbourne; his body was never recovered. John McEwen, as leader of the junior Coalition partner,

1926-465: A period by many) to view the devastation. From the start of the Whitlam government, the Opposition, led by Billy Snedden , who replaced McMahon as Liberal leader in December 1972, sought to use control of the Senate to baulk Whitlam. It did not seek to block all government legislation; the Coalition senators, led by Senate Liberal leader Reg Withers , sought to block government legislation only when

2033-407: A period of almost twenty years. His children Mervyn, Raymond, Kevin, Eleanor, Basil and Duncan were raised primarily by their mother on Mornington Island as their father frequently travelled for work. While he was away Elsie sent him lists of things she wished him to purchase and send back to her on Mornington Island. In his absence, Raymond assumed the father figure role and helped his mother to raise

2140-425: A political and media scandal, and was said to symbolise, alternatively, Whitlam's foresight and vision or his profligate spending. Whitlam travelled extensively as prime minister, and was the first Australian prime minister to visit China while in office. He was criticised for making this visit, especially after Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin ; he interrupted an extensive tour of Europe for 48 hours (deemed too brief

2247-476: A political scandal known as the Loans affair , which led to the removal of two government ministers. The opposition continued to obstruct Whitlam's agenda in the Senate. In late 1975, the opposition senators refused to allow a vote on the government's appropriation bills , returning them to the House of Representatives with a demand that the government go to an election. Whitlam argued that his government, which held

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2354-492: A population of 1,136 people, all living on the largest island, Mornington Island . In the 2021 census , Wellesley Islands had a population of 1,022 people. Mornington Island State School is a government-run primary and secondary school at Lardil Street for boys and girls from early childhood through Year 10. ( 16°39′59″S 139°10′57″E  /  16.6663°S 139.1825°E  / -16.6663; 139.1825  ( Mornington Island State School ) ). In 2018,

2461-429: A schools commission to evaluate educational needs. The party benefited from the support of the proprietor of News Limited , Rupert Murdoch , who preferred Whitlam over McMahon. Labor was so dominant in the campaign that some of Whitlam's advisers urged him to stop joking about McMahon; people were feeling sorry for him. The election saw the ALP increase its tally by 12 seats, mostly in suburban Sydney and Melbourne, for

2568-474: A settlement, and that regular troops, rather than conscripts, should remain under some circumstances. Calwell considered Whitlam's remark disastrous, disputing the party line just five days before the election. The ALP suffered a crushing defeat; the party was reduced to 41 seats in the House of Representatives. Shortly after the election, Whitlam faced another expulsion vote for his stance on Vietnam, and survived. True to his word, Calwell resigned two months after

2675-465: A third try. Calwell dismissed proposals that the ALP leader and deputy leader should be entitled to membership of the party's conference (or on its governing 12-person Federal Executive, which had two representatives from each state), and instead ran successfully for one of the conference's Victoria seats. Labor did badly in a 1964 by-election in the Tasmanian electorate of Denison , and lost seats in

2782-433: A voice in the conference. In 1968, controversy erupted within the party when the executive refused to seat new Tasmanian delegate Brian Harradine , a Whitlam supporter who was considered a right-wing extremist. Whitlam resigned the leadership, demanding a vote of confidence from caucus. He defeated Cairns for the leadership in an unexpectedly close 38–32 vote. Despite the vote, the executive refused to seat Harradine. With

2889-455: Is Mornington Island , with most people living in the town of Gununa . Two small islands in the group, north of Mornington Island, are designated as the Manowar and Rocky Islands Important Bird Area , because of their importance for breeding seabirds , in particular the brown booby and lesser frigatebird . Other islands in the group include (from north to south): Immediately to the south

2996-630: Is a locality within the Shire of Mornington local government area. The traditional owners of the islands are the Lardil people . In the 2021 census , Wellesley Islands had a population of 1,022 people. The Wellesley Islands, also known as the North Wellesley Islands, is located in the Gulf of Carpentaria, on the eastern (Queensland) side of the gulf. The largest island in the group

3103-751: Is a group known as the West Wellesley Islands or Forsyth Islands, and to the south-east of them are the South Wellesley Islands , while the Bountiful Islands lie to the east of Mornington Island. Politically, all 26 islands in these groups are within the local government area of the Shire of Mornington . Ecologically, they constitute subregion GUP10 of the IBRA -defined Gulf Plains bioregion of Australia. According to Indigenous lore , possibly mixed with fact,

3210-511: Is often ranked in the upper-tier of Australian prime ministers by political experts and academics, with political journalist Paul Kelly writing in 1994 that "there is no doubt that in three years his government was responsible for more reforms and innovations than any other government in Australian history". Prime Minister of Australia Term of government (1972–1975) Ministries Elections Related Edward Gough Whitlam

3317-522: The 1938 British Empire Games and was the daughter of barrister and future New South Wales Supreme Court judge Bill Dovey . He entered the RAAF on 20 June 1942. Whitlam trained as a navigator and bomb aimer , before serving with No. 13 Squadron RAAF , based mainly on the Gove Peninsula , Northern Territory, flying Lockheed Ventura bombers. He reached the rank of Flight Lieutenant . While in

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3424-812: The Australia Council in 1970. In 1971 he wrote the first autobiography by an Aboriginal author. In 1973 Roughsey became the Chair of the Aboriginal Arts Board , continuing this role until 1975. He was also a member of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies . In 1978 he was made Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), for Service to Aboriginal Art and Culture. His cultural contributions inspired

3531-511: The Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies . Trezise and Roughsey collaborated on a series of picture books which retold traditional Aboriginal stories, some of which were among the first books to introduce Aboriginal culture to Australian children. Roughsey's passion for the preservation of Indigenous culture and traditions presented him with the opportunity to be appointed to the Aboriginal Advisory Committee for

3638-546: The National Gallery of Australia , then called the Australian National Gallery, bought the painting " Blue Poles " by contemporary artist Jackson Pollock for US$ 2   million (A$ 1.3   million at the time of payment), which was about a third of its annual budget. This required Whitlam's personal permission, which he gave on the condition the price was publicised. The purchase created

3745-592: The Torres Strait , came within half a kilometre of the Papuan mainland. Liberal state governments in New South Wales and Victoria were re-elected by large margins in 1973. Whitlam and his majority in the House of Representatives proposed a constitutional referendum in December 1973, transferring control of wages and prices from the states to the federal government. The two propositions failed to attract

3852-742: The "dry as dust" lectures of Enoch Powell . Soon after the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Whitlam enlisted in the Sydney University Regiment , part of the Militia . In late 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , and with a year remaining in his legal studies, he volunteered for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). In 1942, while awaiting entry into the service, Whitlam met and married Margaret Elaine Dovey , who had swum for Australia in

3959-462: The 1964 half-Senate election. The party was also defeated in the state elections in the most populous state, New South Wales, surrendering control of the state government for the first time since 1941. Whitlam's relationship with Calwell, never good, deteriorated further after publication of a 1965 article in The Australian reporting off-the-record comments Whitlam had made that his leader

4066-500: The ALP sought to gain public trust as a credible government-in-waiting. The party's actions, such as its abandonment of the White Australia policy, gained favourable media attention. The Labor leader flew to Papua New Guinea and pledged himself to the independence of what was then under Australian trusteeship. In 1971, Whitlam flew to Beijing and met with Chinese officials, including Zhou Enlai . McMahon attacked Whitlam for

4173-437: The ALP's governing bodies unwilling to reform themselves, Whitlam worked to build support for change among ordinary party members. He successfully reduced union influence in the party, though he was never able to give the rank and file a direct vote in selecting the executive. The Victoria branch of the party had long been a problem; its executive was far to the left of the rest of the ALP, and had little electoral success. Whitlam

4280-531: The ALP, but on Labor goals which were possible and worthwhile in the constitutional framework. Many Labor goals, such as nationalisation, ran contrary to the Constitution. Whitlam came to believe the Constitution ;– and especially Section 96 (which allowed the federal government to make grants to the states) – could be used to advance a worthwhile Labor programme. By

4387-408: The ALP, with little internal dissension, stood on a platform calling for domestic reform, an end to conscription, and the withdrawal of Australian troops from Vietnam by 1   July 1970. Whitlam knew that, given the ALP's poor position after the 1966 election, victory was unlikely. Nevertheless, Whitlam scored an 18-seat swing, Labor's best performance since losing government in 1949. It also scored

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4494-587: The Cabinet agenda. Whitlam, prime minister for fewer than three years between 1972 and 1975, pushed through a raft of reforms that radically changed Australia's economic, legal and cultural landscape. The Whitlam government abolished the death penalty for federal crimes. Legal aid was established, with offices in each state capital. It abolished university fees, and established the Schools Commission to allocate funds to schools. Whitlam founded

4601-458: The Coalition government on notice that he would be a force to be reckoned with. In the rough and tumble debate in the House of Representatives, Whitlam called fellow MHR Bill Bourke "this grizzling Quisling ", Garfield Barwick (who, as High Court Chief Justice, played a role in Whitlam's downfall) a "bumptious bastard", and he said Bill Wentworth exhibited a "hereditary streak of insanity". After calling future prime minister William McMahon

4708-473: The Coalition sinking in the polls and his own personal approval ratings down as low as 28 per cent, McMahon waited as long as he could, finally calling an election for the House of Representatives for 2   December. Whitlam noted that the polling day was the anniversary of the Battle of Austerlitz at which another "ramshackle, reactionary coalition" had been given a "crushing defeat". Labor campaigned under

4815-481: The Coalition vote fell below 40 per cent for the first time, representing a severe threat to Gorton's leadership. In March 1971, the resentment against Gorton came to a head when a confidence vote in the Liberal caucus resulted in a tie. Declaring that this was a sign he no longer had the confidence of the party, Gorton resigned, and William McMahon was elected his successor. With the Liberals in turmoil, Whitlam and

4922-620: The Country Party, took over as prime minister for three weeks until the Liberals could elect a new leader. Senator John Gorton won the vote and became prime minister. The leadership campaign was conducted mostly by television, and Gorton appeared to have the visual appeal needed to keep Whitlam out of office. Gorton resigned his seat in the Senate, and in February 1968 won the by-election for Holt's seat of Higgins in Victoria. For

5029-537: The Department of Urban Development and, having lived in developing Cabramatta, most of which lacked sewage facilities, established the National Sewerage Program , which set a goal to leave no urban home unsewered. The Whitlam government gave grants directly to local government units for urban renewal, flood prevention, and the promotion of tourism. Other federal grants financed highways linking

5136-491: The House of Representatives, and picked up three Senate seats to hold equal Senate numbers to the opposition. The Whitlam government then instituted the first and only joint sitting enabled under section 57 of the Australian constitution as part of the double dissolution process. His government's second term was dominated by a declining economy suffering from the 1973 oil crisis and the 1970s global recession , as well as

5243-569: The Labor Party in 1960, and in 1967, after the retirement of Arthur Calwell , was elected leader of the party and became the Leader of the Opposition . After narrowly losing the 1969 federal election to John Gorton , Whitlam led Labor to victory at the 1972 election , after 23 years of Coalition government. In its first term, the Whitlam government introduced numerous socially progressive and reformist policies and initiatives, including

5350-449: The Opposition to be wary of giving Labor too easy a time, and gave rise to one post-mortem assessment of the Whitlam government: "We did too much too soon." The McMahon government had consisted of 27 ministers, twelve of whom comprised the Cabinet. In the run-up to the election, the Labor caucus had decided that if the party took power all 27 ministers were to be Cabinet members. Intense canvassing took place amongst ALP parliamentarians as

5457-704: The Senate, effective at the next election. In February 1973, the Attorney General, Senator Lionel Murphy , led a police raid on the Melbourne office of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation , which was under his ministerial responsibility. Murphy believed that ASIO might have files relating to threats against Yugoslav Prime Minister Džemal Bijedić , who was about to visit Australia, and feared ASIO might conceal or destroy them. The Opposition attacked

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5564-814: The Senate; this goal was not erased from the party platform until 1979, after Whitlam had stepped down as leader. Soon after taking the leadership, Whitlam reorganised the ALP caucus, assigning portfolios and turning the Labor frontbench into a shadow cabinet . While the Liberal-Country Coalition had a huge majority in the House of Representatives, Whitlam energised the party by campaigning intensively to win two by-elections in 1967: first in Corio in Victoria, and later that year in Capricornia in Queensland. The November half-Senate election saw

5671-579: The age of 18. He earned his first wages by appearing, with several other "Paulines", in a cabaret scene in the film The Broken Melody  – the students were chosen because St Paul's required formal wear at dinner, and they could therefore supply their own costumes. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree with second-class honours in classics , Whitlam remained at St Paul's to study law. He had originally contemplated an academic career, but his lacklustre marks made that unlikely. Dropping out of Greek classes, he professed himself unable to care for

5778-486: The ancestors engaged in produced the topography , flora and fauna that exist today. The white missionaries convinced Dick’s parents to bring him to the Presbyterian mission school on Mornington Island when he was 7 or 8 years old. He was initially scared of his new surroundings but he soon settled in and had a happy but tough Christian education. He was given the name “Dick” at the mission. His father died while he

5885-631: The commission. Whitlam and Barnard eliminated sales tax on contraceptive pills , announced major grants for the arts, and appointed an interim schools commission. The duumvirate barred racially discriminatory sports teams from Australia, and instructed the Australian delegation at the United Nations to vote in favour of sanctions on apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia . It also ordered the Australian Army Training Team home from Vietnam, ending Australia's involvement in

5992-472: The conference and executive, along with the party's leader and deputy leader in the Senate. As Whitlam considered the Senate unrepresentative, he opposed the admission of its ALP leaders to the party's governing bodies. Menzies retired in January 1966, and was succeeded as prime minister by the new Liberal Party leader, Harold Holt . After years of politics being dominated by the elderly Menzies and Calwell,

6099-484: The defence minister to grant exemptions from conscription. Barnard held this office, and exempted everyone. Seven men were at that time incarcerated for refusing conscription; Whitlam arranged for their liberation. The Whitlam government in its first days reopened the equal pay case pending before the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission , and appointed a woman, Elizabeth Evatt , to

6206-576: The doors, waiting for the verdict. In an accompanying story, Alan Reid of the Telegraph wrote that Labor was ruled by "36 faceless men ". The Liberals seized on it, issuing a leaflet called "Mr Calwell and the Faceless Men" which accused Calwell and Whitlam of taking direction from "36 unknown men, not elected to Parliament nor responsible to the people". Menzies manipulated the Opposition on issues that bitterly divided it, such as direct aid to

6313-401: The duumvirate did its work, and on 18 December the caucus elected the Cabinet. The results were generally acceptable to Whitlam, and within three hours, he had announced the portfolios of the Cabinet members. To give himself greater control over the Cabinet, in January 1973 Whitlam established five Cabinet committees (with the members appointed by himself, not the caucus) and took full control of

6420-514: The early 1950s. The government recovered slightly in the August Budget session of Parliament, proposing income tax cuts and increased spending. The Labor strategy for the run-up to the election was to sit back and allow the Coalition to make mistakes. Whitlam controversially stated in March "draft-dodging is not a crime" and that he would be open to a revaluation of the Australian dollar. With

6527-479: The election. At the caucus meeting on 8   February 1967, Whitlam was elected party leader, defeating leading left-wing candidate Jim Cairns . Whitlam believed the Labor Party had little chance of being elected unless it could expand its appeal from the traditional working-class base to include the suburban middle class. He sought to shift control of the ALP from union officials to the parliamentary party, and hoped even rank-and-file party members could be given

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6634-562: The end of April, Whitlam challenged Calwell for the leadership; though Calwell received two-thirds of the vote, he announced that if the party lost the upcoming election, he would not stand again for the leadership. Holt called an election for November 1966, in which Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War was a major issue. Calwell called for an "immediate and unconditional withdrawal" of Australian troops from Vietnam. Whitlam, however, said this would deprive Australia of any voice in

6741-580: The establishment of the Gooalathaldin Memorial Community Centre, which opened in his honour on Mornington Island in 2003. He won several literary awards, including: Wellesley Islands Download coordinates as: The Wellesley Islands , also known as the North Wellesley Islands , is a group of islands off the coast of Far North Queensland , Australia, in the Gulf of Carpentaria . It

6848-597: The existing Australian Constitution, and the vesting of all political power in Parliament, a plan which would turn the states into powerless geographic regions. Beginning in 1965, Whitlam sought to change this goal. He finally succeeded at the 1971 ALP Conference in Launceston, Tasmania , which called for Parliament to receive "such plenary powers as are necessary and desirable" to achieve the ALP's goals in domestic and international affairs. Labor also pledged to abolish

6955-531: The following year. Upon the election of the Hawke government in 1983, he was appointed as Ambassador to UNESCO , a position he filled with distinction, and was elected a member of the UNESCO Executive Board. He remained active into his nineties. The propriety and circumstances of his dismissal and the legacy of his government have been frequently debated in the decades since he left office. Whitlam

7062-402: The incident transformed Whitlam into an international statesman, while McMahon was seen as reacting defensively to Whitlam's foreign policy ventures. Other errors by McMahon, such as a confused ad-lib speech while visiting Washington, and a statement to Indonesia's President Suharto that Australia was a "west European nation", also damaged the government. By early 1972, Labor had established

7169-410: The islands were once part of mainland Australia: In the beginning, as far back as we remember, our home islands were not islands at all as they are today. They were part of a peninsula that jutted out from the mainland and we roamed freely throughout the land without having to get in a boat like we do today. Then Garnguur, the seagull woman, took her raft and dragged it back and forth across the neck of

7276-491: The largest island in the group, Mornington Island, after Wellesley, who was also the second Earl of Mornington . The main town on Mornington Island, Gununa (a Lardil word) was founded in 1914 as Mornington Island Community, and renamed by the Queensland Place Names Board on 16 January 1982. Mornington Island State School opened on 28 January 1975. In the 2016 census , Wellesley Islands had

7383-432: The late 1950s Whitlam was seen as a leadership contender once the existing Labor leaders exited the scene. Most of the party's major figures, including Evatt, Deputy Leader Arthur Calwell , Eddie Ward , and Reg Pollard , were in their sixties, twenty years older than Whitlam. In 1960, after losing three elections, Evatt resigned and was replaced by Calwell, with Whitlam defeating Ward for deputy leader. Calwell came within

7490-488: The obstruction would advance the Opposition's agenda. The Whitlam government also had troubles in relations with the states. New South Wales refused the government's request to close the Rhodesian Information Centre in Sydney. The Queensland premier, Joh Bjelke-Petersen refused to consider any adjustment in Queensland's border with Papua New Guinea, which, due to the state's ownership of islands in

7597-492: The only Australian prime minister to have been removed from office by a governor-general. Whitlam was an air navigator in the Royal Australian Air Force for four years during World War II , and worked as a barrister following the war. He was first elected to the Australian House of Representatives in 1952, becoming a member of parliament (MP) for the division of Werriwa . Whitlam became deputy leader of

7704-552: The outcome and from that moment I determined to do all I could do to modernise the Australian Constitution." While still in uniform, Whitlam joined the ALP in Sydney in 1945. He was discharged from the RAAF on 17 October 1945, and continued to use Air Force log books to record all the flights he took until 2007. After the war, he obtained his Bachelor of Laws; he was admitted to the federal and New South Wales bars in 1947. With his war service loan, Whitlam built

7811-518: The parliamentary caucus chose the ministers, with the party leader having the power only to assign portfolios. However, the new Labor caucus would not meet until after the final results came in on 15 December. With Labor's win beyond doubt even though counting was still underway, McMahon advised the Governor-General, Sir Paul Hasluck , that he was no longer in a position to govern. Soon afterward, Whitlam advised Hasluck that he could form

7918-608: The party. He ran twice – unsuccessfully – for the local council, once (also unsuccessfully) for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly , and campaigned for other candidates. In 1951, Bert Lazzarini , the Labor member for the Federal electorate of Werriwa , announced that he would stand down at the next election. Whitlam won the preselection as ALP candidate. Lazzarini died in 1952 before completing his term and Whitlam

8025-594: The peninsula letting the sea pour in and making our homes into islands. The Lardil people , who prefer to be known as Kunhanaamendaa (meaning people of Kunhanhaa, their name for Mornington Island), are an Aboriginal Australian people and the traditional owners of Mornington Island. The Lardil language (also known as Gununa, Ladil), is spoken on Mornington Island and on the northern Wellesley Islands. The islands were charted by Matthew Flinders on 6 December 1802, and named by him some years later. He probably did not name them until sometime between 1803 and 1810, when he

8132-399: The proper level of state aid for schools and universities, recognition of Aboriginal land claims, and expanded party policy on universal health care . The conference also called for increased federal involvement in urban planning, and formed the basis of "The Program" of modern socialism which Whitlam and the ALP presented to voters in 1972. Since 1918, Labor had called for the abolition of

8239-473: The remainder of the year, Gorton appeared to have the better of Whitlam in the House of Representatives. In his chronicle of the Whitlam years, however, speechwriter Graham Freudenberg asserts that Gorton's erratic behaviour, Whitlam's strengthening of his party, and events outside Australia (such as the Vietnam War) ate away at Liberal dominance. Gorton called an election for October 1969 . Whitlam and

8346-526: The school had an enrolment of 263 students, with 25 teachers and 14 full- and part-time non-teaching staff (the equivalent of 11 full-time m positions). It includes a special education program. There are no schools on the island or any nearby areas that offer education to Year 12 on the island. The only options for those years are enrolling in online distance education courses or going away to boarding school . Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 1916 – 21 October 2014)

8453-496: The service, he began his political activities, distributing literature for the Australian Labor Party during the 1943 federal election and urging the passage of the 1944 "Fourteen Powers" referendum , which would have expanded the powers of the federal government. Although the party was victorious, the referendum it advocated was defeated. In 1961, Whitlam said of the referendum defeat, "My hopes were dashed by

8560-473: The slogan " It's Time ", an echo of Menzies' successful 1949 slogan, "It's Time for a Change". Surveys showed that even Liberal voters approved of the Labor slogan. Whitlam pledged an end to conscription and the release of individuals who had refused the draft; an income tax surcharge to pay for universal health insurance; free dental care for students; and renovation of ageing urban infrastructure. The party pledged to eliminate university tuition fees and establish

8667-577: The state capitals, and paid for standard-gauge rail lines between the states. The government attempted to set up a new city at Albury–Wodonga on the Victoria–New South Wales border. The process was started for " Advance Australia Fair " to become the country's national anthem in place of " God Save the Queen ". The Order of Australia replaced the British honours system in early 1975. In 1973,

8774-533: The states for private schools, and the proposed base. He called an early election for November 1963, standing in support of those two issues. The Prime Minister performed better than Calwell on television and received an unexpected boost after the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy . As a result, the Coalition easily defeated Labor on a 10-seat swing. Whitlam had hoped Calwell would step down after 1963, but he remained, reasoning that Evatt had been given three opportunities to win, and that he should be allowed

8881-455: The stories that were part of his country and not to mimic the styles and narratives of the then famous Albert Namatjira . Trezise encouraged Roughsey to develop his personal painting style on bark paintings initially, then move to oil on canvas. Throughout their relationship Trezise regularly supplied Roughsey with art materials often cutting bark himself from around his home in Cairns . Trezise

8988-523: The termination of military conscription and the end of Australian involvement in the Vietnam War , institution of universal health care and free university education , and the implementation of legal aid programmes. With the opposition-controlled Australian Senate delaying passage of bills, Whitlam called a snap double dissolution election in May 1974 in which he won a slightly reduced majority in

9095-610: The time, conditions remained primitive in what was dubbed "the bush capital" and "the land of the blowflies". Gough attended the government Telopea Park School . In 1932, Whitlam's father transferred him to Canberra Grammar School where, at the Speech Day ceremony that year, he was awarded a prize by the Governor-General , Sir Isaac Isaacs . Whitlam enrolled at St Paul's College at the University of Sydney at

9202-404: The tribal elders, learning Lardil laws and the ways of hunting. He learnt when to feast and when to dance. He did not undergo ceremonial initiation – normally undertaken around this age – because the missionaries had asked the elders to stop the ceremonies. Dick spoke Lardil language but not Damin language , as he is not initiated . Roughsey and his wife, Elsie, had six children together over

9309-502: The twice-rejected bills was broken, uniquely in Australian history, with a special joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament under Section 57 of the Constitution. This session, authorised by the new governor-general, John Kerr , passed bills providing for universal health insurance (known then as Medibank, today as Medicare ) and providing the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory with representation in

9416-551: The two weeks before a full cabinet could be determined. During the two weeks the so-called " duumvirate " held office, Whitlam sought to fulfill those campaign promises that did not require legislation. Whitlam ordered negotiations to establish full relations with the People's Republic of China, and broke those with Taiwan. The diplomatic relations were established in 1972 and an embassy opened in Beijing in 1973. Legislation allowed

9523-516: The visit and claimed that the Chinese had manipulated him. This attack backfired when US President Richard Nixon announced that he would visit China the following year. His National Security Advisor , Henry Kissinger , visited Beijing between 9–11 July (less than a week after Whitlam's visit), and, unknown to Whitlam, some of Kissinger's staff had been in Beijing at the same time as the Labor delegation. According to Whitlam biographer Jenny Hocking,

9630-410: The war; most troops, including all conscripts, had been withdrawn by McMahon. According to Whitlam's speechwriter Graham Freudenberg, the duumvirate was a success, as it showed that the Labor government could manipulate the machinery of government, despite almost a quarter-century in opposition. However, Freudenberg noted that the rapid pace and public excitement caused by the duumvirate's actions caused

9737-576: The wider community about respect and preservation. In 1968, with Percy Trezise, he rediscovered the important archaeological site of Hann River, in the central Cape York Peninsula . Roughsey was involved with the international exhibition program of the Aboriginal Arts Board (AAB). The AAB was responsible for numerous travelling exhibitions to approximately 40 countries along with publications and gifts of Aboriginal works to overseas museums. This stimulated an interest in Aboriginal art. In 1973, Roughsey

9844-466: The younger Holt was seen as a breath of fresh air, and attracted public interest and support in the run-up to the November election . In early 1966, the 36-member conference, with Calwell's assent, banned any ALP parliamentarian from supporting federal assistance to the states for spending on both government and private schools, commonly called "state aid". Whitlam broke with the party on the issue, and

9951-496: The younger children. The Roughsey children attended school on Thursday Island as Dick believed that an education there would lead to greater employment opportunities on mainland Australia. His brother, Lindsay, also lived on Mornington Island with his family; he too was an artist, regularly sending pieces to Percy Trezise for him to sell. Dick and Lindsay apparently had a troubled relationship. In about 1940 Roughsey moved to mainland Australia to start paid employment. He worked for

10058-512: Was "too old and weak" to win office, and that the party might be gravely damaged by an "old-fashioned" 70-year-old Calwell seeking his first term as prime minister. Later that year, at Whitlam's and Don Dunstan 's urging, and over Calwell's objection, the biennial party conference made major changes to the party's platform: deleting support for the White Australia policy and making the ALP's leader and deputy leader ex officio members of

10165-446: Was able to reconstruct the Victoria party organisation against the will of its leaders, and the reconstituted state party proved essential to victory in the 1972 election. By the time of the 1969 party conference, Whitlam had gained considerable control over the ALP. That conference passed 61 resolutions, including broad changes to party policy and procedures. It called for the establishment of an Australian Schools Commission to consider

10272-629: Was also named Edward, from early childhood he was called by his middle name, Gough, which had come from his paternal grandfather who had been named after the British soldier Field-Marshal Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough . In 1918, Fred Whitlam was promoted to deputy Crown solicitor and transferred to Sydney. The family lived first in the North Shore suburb of Mosman and then in Turramurra . At age six, Gough began his education at Chatswood Church of England Girls' School (early primary schooling at

10379-404: Was an active supporter and promoter of Roughsey's work, staging many exhibitions and showcases of Mornington Island Art throughout Australia. Trezise became an active participant in preserving Lardil customs and stories and he was given the name 'Warrenby' by Roughsey in 1963. Trezise and Roughsey travelled together for many years throughout Australia exploring cave paintings and documenting them for

10486-543: Was appointed inaugural chair of the AAB by then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and continued in this position until 1975, however, his involvement with the AAB is documented before and after this period. Roughsey met Percy Trezise in 1962 at Karumba Lodge at the mouth of the Norman River . Trezise was a pilot for Ansett Airlines who painted casually and quickly became Roughsey's mentor. Trezise encouraged Roughsey to paint

10593-519: Was at the mission school. Dick enjoyed going back to his family home on holidays. On one of these holidays he caught the eye disease trachoma , which affected his vision and caused problems for him in later life. On these holidays he did his fair share of hunting and fishing. He saw his first small aeroplane – of the Flying Doctor service – while living at the mission school. He left school at about 13 years of age and continued his education with

10700-445: Was born on 11 July 1916 at the family home 'Ngara' , 46 Rowland Street, Kew , a suburb of Melbourne , the elder of two children (his sister, Freda , was born four years after him), to Martha (née Maddocks) and Fred Whitlam . His father was a federal public servant who later was Commonwealth Crown Solicitor , and Whitlam senior's involvement in human rights issues was a powerful influence on his son. Since his maternal grandfather

10807-582: Was called "crazy and irresponsible" by Prime Minister Menzies, and the incident reduced public support for the ALP. At that time, the Federal Conference of the Labor Party, which dictated policy to parliamentary members, consisted of six members from each state, but not Calwell or Whitlam. In early 1963 a special conference met in a Canberra hotel to determine Labor policy regarding a proposed US base in northern Australia; Calwell and Whitlam were photographed by The Daily Telegraph peering in through

10914-457: Was carefree as he played naked with his brothers. He spent the earliest part of his childhood in the bush living a traditional Indigenous lifestyle learning the ceremonies and dreaming stories of his ancestors. He learnt the rich oral history of the Lardil tribe from his father. His ancestral relatives were three people, Marnbil the leader, his wife Gin-Gin, and her uncle Dewallewul. The activities

11021-506: Was charged with gross disloyalty by the executive, an offence which carried the penalty of expulsion from the party. Before the matter could be heard, Whitlam left for Queensland , where he campaigned intensively for the ALP candidate Rex Patterson in the Dawson by-election . The ALP won, dealing the government its first by-election defeat since 1952. Whitlam survived the expulsion vote by a margin of only two, gaining both Queensland votes. At

11128-894: Was elected to the House of Representatives in the ensuing by-election on 29 November 1952 . Whitlam trebled Lazzarini's majority in a 12 per cent swing to Labor. Whitlam joined the ALP minority in the House of Representatives. His maiden speech provoked an interruption by a future prime minister, John McEwen , who was then told by the Speaker that maiden speeches are traditionally heard in silence. Whitlam responded to McEwen by saying Benjamin Disraeli had been heckled in his maiden speech and had responded, "The time will come when you shall hear me." He told McEwen, "The time will come when you may interrupt me." According to early Whitlam biographers Laurie Oakes and David Solomon, this cool response put

11235-461: Was in French captivity on Mauritius Island ; he devoted that time to working on his charts and journals. Flinders probably named the island group in honour of Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley , Governor of Madras and Governor-General of Bengal from 1797 to 1805. Wellesley, along with Lord William Bentinck , Governor of Madras , tried to secure Flinders' release. He definitely named

11342-498: Was returned in the 1954 election with a seven-seat majority. After the election, Evatt attempted to purge the party of industrial groupers , who had long dissented from party policy, and who were predominantly Catholic and anti-communist. The ensuing division in the ALP, which came to be known as " The Split ", sparked the birth of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP). The conflict helped to keep Labor out of power for

11449-432: Was the 21st prime minister of Australia , serving from December 1972 to November 1975. To date the longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), he was notable for being the head of a reformist and socially progressive government that ended with his controversial dismissal by the then- governor-general of Australia , Sir John Kerr , at the climax of the 1975 constitutional crisis . Whitlam remains

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