Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 1975 my school, Lurnea High School, held its first multicultural day—a day that, even on its own, was noteworthy. It was two years after the end of the White Australia policy by the then government, but that day was personally significant for another closely related reason. It was the first time that I was lucky enough to meet the Hon. Edward Gough Whitlam. He was Prime Minister and had come to our school because it was in his electorate. He took the time to talk with students, despite the persistence of journalists and camera crews.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the election of the Whitlam government I am reminded of the legacy left behind by Whitlam as well as his connection with Werriwa, which I am proud to represent in this House. I am reminded of the impact of his government on not only my life but also the direction of the nation.

My earliest memories of Gough are from the day of his election. My father had called from the election party, excited for the first change in government in 23 years. It was the beginning of the Australia we know today: a modern multicultural society that became a model throughout the world. The hope and the enthusiasm inspired by his election was an experience that many, including myself, would never forget. The hope he inspired in Australians when he was elected was met with ambition and action by his government. Australians voted for transformation. They voted for a government that would seize the opportunities of the time and make Australia a significant player in the region, and that is exactly what that government and Mr Whitlam did.

It was the Whitlam government that introduced the Racial Discrimination Act; handed land title deeds to the Gurindji traditional owners; fought for equal pay for women; ended conscription; established diplomatic and trade relations with China; created Medibank, the precursor to Medicare; abolished the death penalty; effectively ended the White Australia policy when he introduced the Racial Discrimination Act; connected homes to sewerage through the National Sewerage Program; established needs-based funding for schools; and created the fundamentals of our social welfare system.

What Whitlam did for Australia can't be listed in the time that I have tonight. The legislative, diplomatic and social legacy of the Whitlam government has defined Australian political landscapes for the last five decades. It defines the modern Labor Party and what we stand for. Government can be wielded for the good of a nation. The Whitlam era is perhaps the finest example of how government can better both the individual and the nation as a whole. That is the motivation behind all Labor governments, and that is also true of the Albanese government. Whether it be the Albanese government's meeting with China and the Pacific nations or the government's domestic policies, from environmental action to our housing reforms, it is the legacy of Whitlam that remains at the centre of Labor Party policy.

Whitlam was the first Labor leader and Prime Minister to come from south-west Sydney, an area with a history of strong working-class roots and a strong multicultural background. That is our strength and that was the strength of Whitlam. Leaders must know the struggles and experiences of everyday Australians because without that they can't truly act in the interest of everyone. When Whitlam was Prime Minister he would walk around the streets of Liverpool without a security detail, chatting with residents. He was the Prime Minister but, more importantly, he was the member for Werriwa, and those were the people he represented.

The second time I met him was at a book launch that my sister contributed to. He was generous with his time, conversed with everybody in the room and was very generous with what he said to me. That was the type of man he was, and also the type of leader.

On the 50th anniversary of the Whitlam government's election we remember not only his legacy on foreign affairs, taxation, health policy, Indigenous recognition and women's rights, we remember the personal qualities of Whitlam that drove him to better the lives of Australians and transform this country for the better. It was Whitlam who said:

It seemed to me that if governments could not do something for the conditions of life in our cities and suburbs there was something deeply wrong with our system of government and our national priorities.

That was the heart of his government. I take great pride, as the current member for Werriwa and part of the Albanese government, in continuing his great legacy.

House adjourned at 20:00