Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Gough Whitlam was a formidable, charismatic man with a large presence and a vision for Australia that remains with us today. I thank the member for Werriwa for bringing this motion forward. The Whitlam government policy redefined our nation and changed the lives of a generation of Australians, as we've heard from earlier speakers. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said, 'Labor governments build things while conservatives tear things down.' It's a simple but clear description of the two sides of politics. Paul Keating said, 'When you change the government, you change the country.'

The Whitlam government did both and had a lasting impact on many Australians' lives. That government's policies transformed individual lives and transformed our nation for the better. Matt Foley, a constituent of mine from Fairfield, who also happens to have been the Attorney-General and Minister for the Arts in the Goss government, was in the United Kingdom when Whitlam was elected. Matt says: 'The world was changing. Women wanted equal rights. There was a war in Vietnam that was deadly and bloody and nobody sensible wanted it. The Whitlam government was a breath of fresh air after 23 years of conservative rule.'

Matt Foley came back to Australia in January the following year to complete his studies in social work. He said it was a stirring time for people working in social work. The Whitlam government set up legal aid centres and had a profound vision for making justice accessible. While working for the Aboriginal legal services, Matt recalls the honest approach Whitlam had to Aboriginal land rights. At the launch of his 1972 election campaign, Gough Whitlam said:

We will legislate to give Aboriginal land rights—because all of us as Australians are diminished while the Aborigines are denied their rightful place in this nation.

And the image of Whitlam handing over title deeds at Daguragu to Vincent Lingiari of the Gurindji people is now iconic. It was the first time the Commonwealth government had returned land to its original custodians. The government set up a royal commission to investigate suitable ways to recognise Aboriginal land rights in the Northern Territory. However, while the Whitlam government drafted the first Commonwealth legislation to grant land rights to Aboriginal peoples, it was dismissed before the legislation could pass the Senate.

John Lincoln, another constituent, turned 30 back in 1972. He was married, a Mormon, and had always voted conservative. He accompanied a friend to the Moorooka Bowls Club because his friend's number was up for the lottery for selective conscription to Vietnam. Thankfully, his friend's number did not come up that day and his friend collapsed on the floor in relief. Like many young men, John Lincoln had no desire to fight against a country Australia had no quarrel with. The next day John heard Gough Whitlam announce that, if elected, he would bring the troops home from Vietnam, so on 5 December 1972, John voted Labor for the first time, and the Whitlam government filled John's life with many opportunities. Whitlam freed all imprisoned draft resisters and brought the Australian troops home from Vietnam. John Lincoln had missed out on higher education but then obtained a teaching degree for free. When his marriage broke down he was able to divorce, sensibly, thanks to Whitlam's reforms under the Family Law Act.

Ken and Robin Boyne, from Yeronga, are retired teachers and constituents of mine. In the 1970s, they were in their mid-20s and wanted to become primary school teachers. They studied teacher training for three years and then commenced work in the Queensland state education system—a decision made possible by the Whitlam government when it expanded access to tertiary education. Without this access, Ken and Robin, who were then supporting a young son, would not have been able to study full time and maintain a household. Having access to publicly funded universal health care, via the Whitlam era Medibank, was also a great boon to Ken and Robin as they set out to establish a family home while being full-time students. Ken and Robin have never forgotten the support they received under the Whitlam initiatives and continue to make their contributions to the broader community.

My first political memory is from when I was nine years old. On 11 November 1975, Sister Mary came rushing into our classroom that afternoon and told Mrs Picking, our teacher, to listen to the radio as something awful was happening. Indeed, something awful was happening: the dismissal of the Whitlam government, in a coup and in an affront to constitutional democracy. I would hate for people to be supporting such a thing. Governments are elected to do good things for the country. Gough Whitlam had a vision for Australia. It was a vision that lifted a generation of people out of poverty and transformed this nation. I'm a beneficiary of the Whitlam government, raised by a single mother in regional Queensland. In 1983 my mother could not have afforded to give me a tertiary education but for the Whitlam government's abolition of university fees and providing income support for poorer people. Thank you, Gough Whitlam and your government, for the changes you made to this nation.

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