After The Dismissal, Gough Whitlam called John Kerr’s wife, gifted linguist Anne Kerr, ‘the Lady Macbeth of Yarralumla’. Who was she – and what was her influence?
Articles on Sir John Kerr
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The dismissal is etched into the mind of all who were there at the time, but at its 50th anniversary is its legacy really appreciated?
More than 2,000 pages of letters spanning 36 years and nine prime ministers have now been made public, albeit with disappointing redactions throughout.
While many of the letters are quite candid, their release after so many years is hardly damaging, and the efforts to keep them secret for so long are again shown to be absurd.
In this extract from Jenny Hocking’s new book, Buckingham Palace becomes alarmed when Sir John Kerr agitates for the release of the so-called “palace letters” to bolster his version of events.
In the midst of our present crisis, this week’s release of the Palace letters has taken us back to the debate about another crisis, massive at the time and of lasting significance but rather put into perspective…
The letters confirm the worst fears of those who viewed Governor-General John Kerr’s sacking of the Whitlam government as a constitutional coup.
There are many questions regarding The Dismissal that can still be debated. But the queen simply advised the governor-general to follow the constitution, which is as she should have done.
After a long court battle, Australians are finally about to learn more about one of the most pivotal episodes in our political and constitutional history.
The dismissal of the Whitlam government in 1975 is our story, and we have a right to know it in full.
However, the win does not necessarily mean the public will have access to the letters - much now rests on what the National Archives does next.
