Gough Whitlam– On His Appointment of Kerr

Whitlam On His Appointment Of Kerr

Mar 11, 2002

As controversy swirled around the Governor-General, Archbishop Peter Hollingworth, in March 2002, Gough Whitlam commented on his choice for the Vice-Regal job in 1974.

Extracts from a report in The Age, March 11, 2002:

Former Labor prime minister Gough Whitlam today said he felt sad about the vice-regal office controversy given that he had appointed a dud with a drinking problem in Sir John Kerr. 

“Mr Whitlam said he believed Governor-General Peter Hollingworth should resign. 

“I feel sad about this and I feel a bit sensitive because I appointed a dud, too, but it was universally applauded when I made him,” Mr Whitlam told the John Laws radio program.

He said he should have made inquiries in the legal fraternity about Sir John before he was appointed. 

“I should have asked … other Supreme Court judges or senior counsel what he was like and they would have told me that Kerr had a drink problem,” Mr Whitlam said.

“And then later on his wife died, and I don’t want to go into that detail, but clearly I should have known his weaknesses.”

Mr Whitlam admitted he made a mistake in appointing Sir John and he apologised to the Queen.

“And I reassured her, I said there’ll be nothing, no demonstrations against you when you come in `77, which we’d arranged for her to do,” he said.

“I said you’ll be very respectfully and warmly received and the fault was mine, not yours.”

The dismissal of the Whitlam government provided one of the biggest political shocks in Australian history. It put on open display vice-regal powers that most did not know existed, and tested Australians’ understanding of their own Constitution and political system.

What happened?

On October 16, 1975, the Senate resolved that it would not pass supplyuntil the Whitlam government agreed to call a general election. This meant the Commonwealth would soon run out of money to pay public servants, provide pensions, pay its contractors, and provide services. The Whitlam government decided to tough it out in the hope the Coalition opposition would collapse. 

Because the Christmas holidays were approaching, the last day to initiate a pre-Christmas election was November 13, 1975. If that deadline was missed, there would potentially be months of economic chaos with no money to run the government and pay salaries or pensions until February. 

On the morning of November 11, Opposition Leader Malcolm Fraser told Gough Whitlam the Opposition would pass supply if Whitlam agreed to hold an election for both houses in May or June 1976. Whitlam refused. 

Instead, Whitlam went to the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, to seek a half-Senate election in December. This would not have been likely to resolve the impasse, and would have been particularly problematic if supply was not granted to cover the election period.

When Whitlam declined to request a general election, Kerr exercised his reserve powers by dismissing Whitlam and his government from office. He then appointed Fraser as prime minister on the condition that he secure the passage of supply, advise the dissolution of both houses of parliament, and call an election in December. 

Kerr also stipulated that Fraser’s government must only be a caretaker government that would not make any major appointments or undertake any inquiries or investigations into the Whitlam government. The Senate passed the supply bills and once assent was given to them, both Houses were immediately dissolved. 

It was then left to voters in the election to decide who should govern. The former Whitlam government was comprehensively defeated, and the Fraser government was elected to office.