The timeline leading up to Kerr’s dismissal of Whitlam
The dismissal of then-prime minister Gough Whitlam by the governor-general in 1975 sparked decades-long debates and fueled debate about having a head of state in Australia.
TIMELINE
* 2 December 1972 – The Whitlam Labor government came to power, ending more than twenty years of coalition rule.
* 11 July 1974 – Sir John Kerr became the 18th governor-general and served until December 1977.
* 3 July 1975 – A letter to the monarch’s private secretary Martin Charteris reveals Sir John has no intention of sacking the government after adding a Canberra Times editorial on the issue.
* 12 September 1975 – Sir John, Queen Elizabeth II. He wrote a letter to Elizabeth discussing the powers of the viceroy.
* October-November 1975 – then opposition leader Malcolm Fraser used his party’s control of the Senate to block the Whitlam government’s supply bills, and Mr Whitlam refused to call an election to break the deadlock.
* 6 November 1975 – Sir John wrote to the private secretary saying Mr Whitlam had told him he did not intend to hold an election at the Melbourne Cup event on Mr Fraser’s orders and “then said the only way an election for the House of Representatives could take place would be for me to remove him from office”.
* November 10, 1975 – Sir John sought advice from then Supreme Court chief justice Garfield Barwick, a former Liberal politician who disdained Mr Whitlam.
* 11 November 1975 – Mr Whitlam is sacked by the then governor-general and Mr Fraser is appointed interim prime minister after assurances that he can secure supplies.
* November 12, 1975 – The first Fraser ministry was sworn in.
* 20 November 1975 – A letter from Sir Kerr summarized his thoughts on Mr Whitlam’s comments that “running for the Palace” was a threat and wrote that he had the authority to act in accordance with the constitution.
* November 25, 1975 – Mr Charteris writes a letter to the governor-general saying that if Mr Whitlam wins the election “I accept that it may be very difficult for you to work with him” but that his victory may ease his anger.
* 13 December 1975 – The Coalition wins a landslide election against Labor, gaining 30 more seats with more than 7 per cent of the vote.
* 22 December 1977 – Mr Whitlam steps down as leader of the Labor Party after losing the 1977 election and retires from parliament the following year.
* 14 July 2020 – The National Archives published Sir John’s letters to Buckingham Palace.
