It’s been 50 years since a defining moment in Australia’s political history.
On Remembrance Day 1975, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam – the longest-serving Federal Labor leader – was dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr, the first and only Federal government ever removed from office.
Before the decision, Opposition Leader Malcolm Fraser vowed to block the government’s budget in the Senate until an election was called.
The Dismissal remains one of Australia’s most controversial political events, stirring questions amongst the Australian public.
So what political and economic circumstances led to this constitutional crisis?
Image: Australian-Conservation-Foundation CC share alike-4.0 international licence
Produced By: Emma Wotzke
Featured In Story: Noah Secomb – Community Radio Network Political Reporter , and
First aired on The Wire, Tuesday 11 November 2025