Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to offer my condolences to the family of Edward Gough Whitlam, and my thoughts are with Senator John Faulkner at this time.

What I have to say has been said by many already, but in repeating it I think we should never forget about the things that Gough did in this country in the short period of time that he was Prime Minister and the long time that he was in parliament. How hard it is to do justice to the man who was responsible for the boldest, bravest and most visionary set of reforms that this country has ever seen. The breadth and depth of the advances brought about by one government in three short years simply cannot be overstated.

In the area of education, Gough laid the foundations for a clever, competitive nation and invited all Australians to take part. He recognised that, by investing in Australian people, the returns—both social and economic—are considerable and enduring. He established needs based funding, delivered federal funding to state schools for the first time and abolished university tuition fees so that, suddenly, tertiary education was in reach of everyone.

He established a strong universal healthcare system that would ensure that all Australians would have access to quality health care regardless of their income. He made steps to repair some of the injustices wrought on Aboriginal people, by removing discriminatory elements left over from the White Australia Policy, drafting the first Commonwealth legislation to grant land rights and handing land title deeds to the Gurindji traditional land owners in the Northern Territory. He forged a more inclusive country by embracing communities from all nations and passing the Racial Discrimination Act, which made it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of ethnic origin and bestowed the right of all Australians to equality before the law.

He supported greater independence for Australian women by instituting no-fault divorce, introducing the single mothers benefit and fighting for equal pay, which saw a rise of around 30 per cent in women's wages. He reached out a helping hand to those who were doing it tough by increasing social security funding and establishing welfare for homeless people.

He set up important national legal institutions, including the Australian Legal Aid Office and the Australian Law Reform Commission, and he enacted the Family Law Act, which provided for a national Family Court. He elevated the arts by bringing plans for the National Gallery of Australia to fruition, creating the Australia Council for the Arts and providing increased support for our local film and television industries through the National Film Commission and increased local-content requirements.

He opened our doors to the world by building diplomatic relations with China, reorienting our relationship with Asia and encouraging international trade with a 25 per cent tariff cut. He reinforced our burgeoning independence by replacing the British honours system with the Order of Australia and enshrining Advance Australia Fair as our national anthem. He established Australia's role as a strong and principled global citizen by engaging with the United Nations, fighting nuclear testing in the Pacific, taking a stand against apartheid, increasing foreign aid, ratifying the World Heritage Convention and withdrawing the remaining troops from Vietnam.

Perhaps the most enduring and pervasive change, brought about by the Whitlam years, was the very way we saw—and continue to see—ourselves as a nation. It would not be an overreach to suggest that Gough Whitlam had more impact on our national identity than any other individual in our history. He elevated social justice as a key value for our young country and embedded diversity, inclusion, fairness, opportunity and a 'fair go' in all his reforms. It is virtually impossible to have a conversation about our national identity without calling on some of the key defining characteristics that Gough championed.

Gough's passing last week provides a timely message to the entire nation—especially to those who hold progressive values dear—that we cannot be complacent about his achievements. It is a clear reminder that we must continue to draw deep on the inclusive values that make Australia great and fight with all the energy we have to ensure they are not lost.

There will always be those who want to rewind history, to avoid progressive reform and desperately cling to the status quo, to turn their backs on the national interest to favour the interests of a few or to trade in the politics of fear and division rather than hope and optimism. But our sense of what it means to be Australian is enduring—and, I suspect, much harder to break down than some might imagine. We must be galvanised by Gough's memory and reminded that he has left us a precious legacy that we simply cannot afford to lose.

I also want to recognise Margaret Whitlam, who was a steadfast companion and constant inspiration to Gough as well as a fiercely intelligent and vigilant fighter for progressive values in her own right. It was heartening to hear both sides of the chamber in the other place recognise Gough's legacy and reinforce its historic impact. It gave me hope that these shared values can be enlivened to allow us to work towards a fairer, smarter, healthier, braver and more inclusive future. I believe there is no greater symbol of these fundamental values than Gough Whitlam. May we long treasure his memory and forever fight to maintain his legacy.