On 11 November 1975 Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and his Labor government became the first (and only) government in Australian history to be dismissed by the Governor-General. Sir John Kerr, who was earlier appointed Governor-General by Whitlam, justified his actions by arguing that the government couldn’t pass Bills, including its own Budget Bills, through the Senate. After the dismissal, an election was held and the Whitlam government was defeated. The dismissal was a controversial decision, and people still debate whether it was the correct thing for a Governor-General to do.

Australia as a nation
Biomes and food security
Changing the constitution
Citizenship
Citizenship
Colonial Australia
Faith and citizenship
First World War
Great journeys of exploration
Landforms and landscapes
Making a nation
Migration experiences
Movement of peoples
Participation in Australian democracy
Popular culture
Progressive ideas
Rights and freedoms
Second World War
Shaping places
Voting
Water In Australia

Extra resources

Year level

Student showcase: Blue Poles podcast

Student showcase: LGBTI history interactive timeline 1975–2019