The 1975 Cabinet papers released by the National Archives on January 1 shed new light on the tumultuous final year of the Whitlam Government, illuminating above all the struggle of a government to implement reform in a hostile political and economic environment. These papers together with the previous releases illustrate the inner workings of the Whitlam Cabinets.
Comprised of Cabinet submissions, decisions and supporting departmental files, they reveal several constant themes: the determination to implement reform against the backdrop of a weak economy and an intractable political environment, a poisonous and distrustful relationship with the public service, a dysfunctional administrative style, a strong-willed prime minister, an ill-disciplined Cabinet dogged by scandal and crisis, and the warning signs that, had they been heeded, might have avoided the dismissal of the government.
In examining the totality of the government’s records through the Cabinet papers, the most remarkable aspect is that they show how, despite enormous obstacles, a visionary and far-reaching policy agenda was implemented, forever changing the face of Australia.
Few areas of society were left untouched by the Whitlam program. While much of it was welcomed, the frenzied pace of reform and the economic impact meant that the government faced much opposition.
The 1975 papers reveal an active and determined government. In July Medibank was finally up and running, the Gurindji people were given title to part of their traditional lands at Wattie Creek, the Racial Discrimination Act was passed, Elizabeth Evatt was appointed Chief Judge of the new Family Court, the Law Reform Commission and the Consumer Affairs Commission were established, legislation set up the National Gallery and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, new welfare payments were made to support mothers and the homeless, the Film Commission and the Australia Council were created, and the new Australian honours system was introduced.
Internationally, Papua New Guinea became independent, the Vietnam War ended, and Whitlam and Indonesian President Suharto jointly supported the principle of self-determination for the former Portuguese colony of East Timor. In October, five Australian-based journalists covering the Indonesian incursion in East Timor were killed. It has been alleged that the government may have been informed of a pending attack. Yet, there is nothing new in these files; records relating to East Timor were released in 2000.
Right from the beginning it was a style of administration that foreshadowed later problems. Within days Gough Whitlam and his deputy, Lance Barnard, were sworn in as