Tribute: Gough Whitlam

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Todman said:
- Created Medibank (redesigned by Fraser and then by every government since)
- Introduced Legal Aid
- Introduced free University (one of the first things the Hawke government took away)
- Started work on the decentralization of new hospitals in suburbia (paranoid that nuclear attack would destroy all city hospitals)
- Increased schools' funding
- Increased social security spending on pensions and unemployment benefits (in 1972 the dole was 50 cents a week.)
- Established Commonwealth funding responsibility for Universities
- Provided 'state aid' to non-Government schools (and to think Latham wanted to take this away)
- Returned land to the Gurindji people and drafted the Land Rights Act
- Granted independence to PNG (this was in the pipeworks for years, it just that Gough was in power at the handover)
- Established diplomatic relations with China (I thank him for this one.)
- Withdrew Australian troops from Vietnam (troop numbers down to 130 when Gough came in)
- Abolished the White Australia Policy (after years of ALP protection, Holt eroded the WAP away)
- Introduced Multiculturalism as Australian Government policy (40 years on they ugly side is coming to the fore.)
- Fought for equal pay for women (I'm amazed that single female public servants had to resign when they got married)
- Instituted no-fault divorce ( husband prove wife adulterous once, wife to prove husband adulterous on many occasions)
- Unilaterally cut Australian tariffs (this caused a massive increase in unemployment)
- Introduced the Trade Practices Act banning anti-competitive conduct (His lasting legacy)
- Ratified the World Heritage Convention and protected the Great Barrier Reef from oil drilling
- Created the Australia Council for the Arts
- Founded Triple J (then Double J)
- Connected suburban homes to sewerage
- Funded urban public transport projects and rail electrification
- Introduced Advance Australia Fair as the national anthem (I wanted Waltzing Matilda)
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Excellent post, someone who understands the background behind these policies, rather than just spouting off policies in isolation that are commonly seen as attributable to Whitlam. Agree with a lot of the above, very measured.
 
Gus Poyet said:
I'm genuinely interested to know when the idea of Governments providing s**t for free came into vogue. Given every other Government that followed kept up with this ideal it's hardly a partisan question.
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Yes, you're totally bipartisan and not cheerleading for the removal of any safety net in society.

Access to university based on merit, not parentage, must scare the bejesus out of the hard right.
 
Gus Poyet said:
Says you.

I'm genuinely interested to know when the idea of Governments providing s**t for free came into vogue. Given every other Government that followed kept up with this ideal it's hardly a partisan question.
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Perhaps a topic for a new thread, rather than hijacking a tribute to a man who just died??

Ditto to others questioning the policies he implemented.
 

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My ideal of a true patriot tbh. Wasn't perfect but was true to the average Australian and in making Australia stand for something in its own right.

Not a chest beater or conservative who stood for the interests of a few.
 
Jiska said:
In less than three years:

- Created Medibank (now known as Medicare)
- Introduced Legal Aid
- Introduced free University
- Started work on the establishment of new hospitals in suburban Australia including Sunshine Hospital
- Increased schools' funding
- Increased social security spending on pensions and unemployment benefits
- Established Commonwealth funding responsibility for Universities
- Provided 'state aid' to non-Government schools
- Returned land to the Gurindji people and drafted the Land Rights Act
- Granted independence to PNG
- Established diplomatic relations with China
- Withdrew Australian troops from Vietnam
- Abolished the White Australia Policy
- Introduced Multiculturalism as Australian Government policy
- Fought for equal pay for women
- Instituted no-fault divorce
- Unilaterally cut Australian tariffs
- Introduced the Trade Practices Act banning anti-competitive conduct
- Ratified the World Heritage Convention and protected the Great Barrier Reef from oil drilling
- Created the Australia Council for the Arts
- Founded Triple J (then Double J)
- Connected suburban homes to sewerage
- Funded urban public transport projects and rail electrification
- Introduced Advance Australia Fair as the national anthem

If only we could find a politician these days, from either side of politics, willing to stick to his convictions and make fundamental change happen instead of talking about it.
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And all that in such a short time frame. Usually it takes a government 4 or more years to implement reforms. Whitlam did it in 3. Just wondering, what was the overseas view about PM Whitlam from ie USA, Great Britain?
 
Jascave said:
And all that in such a short time frame. Usually it takes a government 4 or more years to implement reforms. Whitlam did it in 3. Just wondering, what was the overseas view of PM Whitlam ie USA, Great Britain?
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I don't think John Howard brought in that many social reforms in his entire run as PM and as we all know he was there a lot longer.
 
When anyone passes away I think we need to (in the short term) remember the positives, there is plenty of time in the following weeks and years to critically analyze his legacy. So on that note, we need to celebrate Gough's courage in enlisting in the defence force, and also his courage in politics. He was unafraid to say the controversial, something lacking in many politicians today.

Extremely intelligent and held a vision that is to be admired, even if I am on the opposite side of many of these beliefs. For better or worse, he changed Australia.
 
Jiska said:
Perhaps a topic for a new thread, rather than hijacking a tribute to a man who just died??

Ditto to others questioning the policies he implemented.
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As someone pointed out already, thatchers thread was full of worse things than just questioning a legacy. Can I ask why this should be any different?
 
Jiska said:
Perhaps a topic for a new thread, rather than hijacking a tribute to a man who just died??

Ditto to others questioning the policies he implemented.
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But say if Malcolm Fraser passed could you imagine the vitriol he would receive on the forum for being a Liberal prime minister ( even though most liberals cant stand him) I feel most posters have been very restrained in their criticism of gough.
 
Gus Poyet said:
As someone pointed out already, thatchers thread was full of worse things than just questioning a legacy. Can I ask why this should be any different?
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Thatcher wasnt an Australian WW2 Veteran, nor Australian Prime Minister, so bugger off.

I didnt like Fraser as a PM but I wont denegrate him when he goes. I'd at least wait a month or so:p
 

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camsmith said:
He was unafraid to say the controversial, something lacking in many politicians today.
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The trouble with saying something controversial is there are thousands of bloggers just waiting to get upset about what (Tony, Bill, Jacqui or Christine) said.
 
Jascave said:
And all that in such a short time frame. Usually it takes a government 4 or more years to implement reforms. Whitlam did it in 3. Just wondering, what was the overseas view about PM Whitlam from ie USA, Great Britain?
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Didn't the US troops almost shoot him at Pine Gap?
 
madmug said:
Thatcher wasnt an Australian WW2 Veteran, nor Australian Prime Minister, so bugger off.

I didnt like Fraser as a PM but I wont denegrate him when he goes. I'd at least wait a month or so:p
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What crap. If Abbott shay the tin tomorrow none of his detractors would hold back. The hypocrisy is truly mind boggling.
 
Gus Poyet said:
As someone pointed out already, thatchers thread was full of worse things than just questioning a legacy. Can I ask why this should be any different?
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What does a PM from another country have to do with Whitlam dying?
 
Todman said:
- Created Medibank (redesigned by Fraser and then by every government since)
- Started work on the decentralization of new hospitals in suburbia (paranoid that nuclear attack would destroy all city hospitals)
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Encouraged decentralization of Australia, Bathurst, Wodonga/Albury etc...he wanted other cities in rural Australia, and implemented policies to help it. Now I swear we just tell immigrants you can either live in Sydney or Melbourne.
 
Gus Poyet said:
What crap. If Abbott shay the tin tomorrow none of his detractors would hold back. The hypocrisy is truly mind boggling.
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What Hypocracy? Both Abbott and Thatcher would have truly ****ed over large portions of their nations (or tried to), the same can't be said for Whitlam, who did his policies hurt?
 
kolchak said:
Encouraged decentralization of Australia, Bathurst, Wodonga/Albury etc...he wanted other cities in rural Australia, and implemented policies to help it. Now I swear we just tell immigrants you can either live in Sydney or Melbourne.
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and in the case of Sydney not bothering to improve the rail network to support the millions more people now living here.
 
Ice-Wolf said:
What Hypocracy? Both Abbott and Thatcher would have truly ****** over large portions of their nations (or tried to), the same can't be said for Whitlam, who did his policies hurt?
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Exactly. No one (extra) went to bed hungry as a result of Whitlam's policies. Thatcher saw it so tens of thousands of families suddenly had no way of feeding themselves.
 
Absolutely sickening seeing the continuing parade of two faced liberal bullshit artists standing up in parliament to pay tribute to Gough.

Whilst at the same time they are trying to tear down every single thing he stood for.

Slimy, morally bankrupt, psychopathic reptiles the lot of them.
 
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