Politics
Gough Whitlam
Prime Minister of Australia 1972–1975
Born 1916 · Died 2014
Photo: Australian Conservation Foundation · CC BY-SA 4.0
«Well may we say God save the Queen, because nothing will save the Governor-General.»
Gough Whitlam abolished university tuition fees, introduced universal healthcare and ended conscription in under three years, before being dismissed by the Governor General in Australia's greatest constitutional crisis. His reforms reshaped the country.
Key achievements
- Prime Minister of Australia, 1972–1975
- Abolished university tuition fees and introduced universal healthcare
- Ended conscription and formally abandoned the White Australia policy
Universities
Sydney, New South Wales
Took degrees in arts and law, completing the law degree after wartime service in the air force.
Facts
- His government made university education free in Australia, which opened higher education to a generation of working-class students.
- He was dismissed from office by the Governor General in 1975, the only time this has happened in Australian history.
- He established formal diplomatic relations with China in 1972, ahead of most Western countries.
Photographs
Photographs come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; the author and licence are shown on each image.