Summary:
Outlines why the Australian Governor-General John Kerr was not justified in his dismissal of the Whitlam Government in 1975. Provides historical background on the situation. Examines the current state of the Australian government.
Sir John Kerr was not justified in dismissing the Whitlam Government in 1975. The Whitlam Government had the right to finish its term; the reserve powers were considered unnecessary and interpreted as unnecessary in the circumstances, there were alternative courses of action; the House of Representatives is the "People's House" and as such should have been supported by the Senate; the dismissal prejudiced the Government's chances of re-election; and the Opposition created the crisis to gain power.
The Whitlam Government were elected for the people, by the people, and as such had the right to finish its term. The crisis struck at the heart of Australia's system of Parliamentary democracy: that a governments that has a majority in the House of Representatives has the right to govern. The Opposition Leader himself, Malcolm Fraser, said that ."..if a.....
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