Government as art

Helen Hornung-Leis

And we will no longer sing 'God save the Queen'

The Whitlam Government years between 1972-1975 saw big change. The Whitlam government sprawled itself expressively across Australian society, it poured its reforms with the allegro of a Jackson Pollack painting. This was not a minimalist government. It was a government that put forward more bills than had ever been presented than any other government.

The legacy of this government was that it instigated major changes in the social and cultural fabric of Australia but it also challenged the philosophy of what an Australian is and what Australia represented. The late 1960s and early 1970s were times of great change. Perspectives and acceptances about imperialism, women's liberation, racism, ideology, religion, war, morality, social responsibility and the natural environment were changing for a great many people throughout the world. Some issues were long term political debates that had been presented previously but not received enough support for legislative change.

The first Bill introduced to the Senate on March 1, 1972, the Death Penalty Abolition Bill was by not a new issue (1). The abolition of the death penalty had been a tenet of the ALP since 1919 although the Scullin, Curtin and Chifley ALP governments had not introduced any Bill (2). It was the second reading of the third introduction of the Bill that was passed on May 8, 1973 (3).

This Bill was opposed by the Country Party but supported by the ALP and over half the Liberal members that voted on the Bill when it was carried on the September 13, 1973 (4).

Other examples of issues of change that had been previously presented by the Whitlam opposition were the lowering of the age to vote from 21 to 18 and the lowering of the age when a person could marry without parental consent from 21 to 18. These two Bills were the first to be presented in the Whitlam Government's House of Representatives (5). This empowerment of youth was an important social and political step by the Whitlam lead ALP. The children of the post war baby boom were reaching or nearing adulthood, Australia had a large youth population and in typically ALP seats like Whitlam's own seat of Werriwa the youth population was very high (6). The withdrawal of troops from Viet Nam and the end of conscription were also issues that affected the youth of Australia.

Another legacy of the Whitlam Government is found in the support and improvements offered to women. Soon after the Whitlam government came to power issues relating to rights and status of women were either supported or addressed by the Government. This included the rights and requests for equal pay for equal work, for maternity leave, amendments to the Public Services Act, grants for family planning centres, more affordable availability of the contraceptive pill and a supporting mothers pension for women who were the sole parent (7).

The anti-racist philosophy forwarded by the Whitlam Government marked a major change in the ALP and the White Australian ideology. The Racial Discrimination Bill 1975 represented a major achievement of the Whitlam Government that effected immigration, indigenous affairs and rights, international politics and the beginning of the multiculturalism policy.

Two other of the major policy changes instigated by the Whitlam Government were the introduction of free tertiary education and the introduction of free medical services under Medicare.

The Whitlam Government also brought changes in the arts, Australian culture and nationalism. Under the Whitlam Government funding for every area of the arts was increased, this included the Australian Opera, the Australian Ballet, the Australian National Gallery and its international and nation collection, this injection of funding to the arts also included the formation of the Australia Council and an increased support for Australian literature, film, drama and indigenous art (8). Yet by far the greatest cultural legacy of the Whitlam Government was the changing of the National Anthem from "God Save the Queen" to "Advance Australia Fair", this was a cultural and nationalist change that would affect every Australian.

Another important legacy of the Whitlam Government was that it placed the value, protection and preservation of the environment on the political agenda. The campaign by the Whitlam Government to protect the Great Barrier Reef and prevent oil drilling on or near the reef was one of the earliest environmental protection campaigns in Australian Federal politics (9).

The government under Whitlam was one of maximum political impact. Robert Manne has described the years of the Whitlam Government as intense and turbulent years in Australian politics (10). James Walter described Whitlam as a 'mover and shaker' and a 'big picture' painter rather than an administrative political leader (11). A legacy of the Whitlam Government is that it brought social and cultural changes to Australian society.

Gough Whitlam, The Whitlam Government, Penguin Books 1985, p600.
Ibid, p.601
Ibid, p.601
Ibid, p. 601
Ibid, p.601
Ibid, p.659
Ibid, Chapter 14 'Women'
Ibid, Chapter 16 'Arts, Letters and Media'
Hansard, Parliamentary Debates, Commonwealth of Australia, Senate, First Session of the 29th Parliament from 11 February to 22 July 1975. Government Printer of Australia, p.2663-2666.
Robert Manne, The Australian Century. Text Publishing, Melbourne 1999, p.7 and cover.
James Walter, 'GoughWhitlam: bursting limitations' in Political Lives edited by Judith Brett. Allen and Unwin 1997, p.39.

Bibliography

Hansard, Parliamentary Debates: Commonwealth of Australia 1975 Senate, First Session of the Twenty-Ninth Parliament (second period) from 11 February to 22 July 1975,Vol. S. 64 from 13 May to 22 July 1975, The Government Printer of Australia, Canberra, 1975.

Hansard, Parliamentary Debates:Commonwealth of Australia 1975 House of Representatives, First session of the Twenty-Ninth Parliament (second period from 11 February to 9 July 1975, Vol. H of R. 95 from 19 May to 9 July 1975, The Government of Australia, Canberra, 1975.

Hollier, N., 'From Hope to Disillusion? The Legacy of the Whitlam Government in Australian Policy and Culture' in Selected Readings in Australian Labour History: Reader, UWS, 2004.

Kellehear, A., (editor),Social Self, Global Culture: An Introduction to Sociological Ideas, OUP, 1996.

Manne, R., (editor and introduction), The Australian Century: Political Struggle in the Building of a Nation, and chapter by Manne "The Whitlam Revolution", The Text Publishing Company, Melbourne, 1999.

Walter, J., 'Gough Whitlam: bursting limitations' in Political Lives edited by Judith Brett, Allen & Unwin, 1997.

Whitlam, G., The Whitlam Government 1972-1975, Penguin Books, 1985.