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.

Archival film clip
Australian Journey series
Example
Expert voices
Live sketch animation
Other

Aboriginal communities
Abuse
Agriculture
Ancient Australia
Art
Australia as a nation
Australian Quarantine Service
bacteria
bacterial pneumonia
banned
barbed wire
bars
Bathurst Plains
bushrangers
church services
closed
coach
Colonial
Colonial Australia
Commonwealth Serum Laboratories
contagious
coronavirus
COVID
COVID 19
Cox
Darkinjung
deadly
death rates
Dharawal
disease
doses
Environment
Europe
face masks
fencing
first wave
flocks
generations
Geography
global
Gold
Goulburn
Government
grazing
Gregory Blaxland
Gundungurra
health
healthy young adults
homestead
hotspots
Indigenous
Indigenous Australia
Indigenous Australia: Australia as a nation: Sport: Women
Indigenous life before Europeans
Indigenous: Colonial
Industry
infections
influenza
island
Land
lockdown
Making a nation
mask
masks
medical facilities
Migration
Migration Experiences
militia
missions
Movement of Peoples
mutate
Ngunawal
old people
pandemic
Panter
pathways
Politics
poor health
public transport
Racism
Rape
Retaliation
Revenge
ridges
Rights and freedoms
Science and technology
scientists
second
settlers
skilled
Snowy
Spain
spike
Sport
sporting events
spread
theatres
third
virus
viruses
Wanaruah
War
William Charles Wentworth
William Lawson
Women
young children
War migration

Videos

Theme

Type

Anthropocene now

Communication — Then and Now

Defining Moments: Gold rush

The Great Depression

The Message: the Story from the Shore

Australian Journey Episode 09: Encounters

Defining Moments: Australian Federation

Defining Moments: Eureka Stockade

Postwar migration

Toys — Then and Now

1797: Introduction of the Merino sheep

Australian Journey Episode 07: The Stolen Generations

Secrets of Lake Mungo

1982: Franklin Dam protests

Defining Moments: Castle Hill Rebellion

Defining Moments: Women’s suffrage