Was Gough Whitlam the best prime minister?

Likewise, Humphrey McQueen considered Gough Whitlam to be both the fifth-best and the fourth-worst, describing him as a “curate’s egg”. Macintyre was the only respondent to award half-points, ranking Whitlam and Paul Keating as the equal fifth-best prime ministers.

What did Gough Whitlam say to Vincent Lingiari?

At the ceremony, Whitlam poured a handful of soil slowly into Lingiari’s hands and said, ‘I put into your hands this piece of the earth itself as a sign that we restore them [lands] to you and your children forever’.

Who was prime minister after Gough Whitlam?

List of officeholders

No. Name (birth–death) Constituency Term of office
Took office
21 Gough Whitlam (1916–2014) MP for Werriwa, NSW 5 December 1972
22 Malcolm Fraser (1930–2015) MP for Wannon, Vic 11 November 1975
23 Bob Hawke (1929–2019) MP for Wills, Vic 11 March 1983

Who was Australian prime minister in 1974?

Gough Whitlam was the Prime Minister of Australia from 1972 to 1975.

Who ended the White Australia policy?

Multicultural Australia

In 1973 the Whitlam Labor government definitively renounced the White Australia policy. In its place it established a policy of multiculturalism in a nation that is now home to migrants from nearly 200 different countries.

How did Gough Whitlam change Australia?

Whitlam, prime minister for fewer than three years between 1972 and 1975, pushed through a raft of reforms that radically changed Australia’s economic, legal and cultural landscape. The Whitlam government abolished the death penalty for federal crimes. Legal aid was established, with offices in each state capital.

How long did the Wave Hill walk-off last?

seven years
The Wave Hill walk-off, also known as the Gurindji strike, was a walk-off and strike by 200 Gurindji stockmen, house servants and their families, starting on 23 August 1966 and lasting for seven years.

What happened at the Wave Hill walk-off?

In August 1966, Vincent Lingiari led a group of Aboriginal pastoral workers and their families in a walk-off from Wave Hill Station. The strike protested the poor conditions Aboriginal workers had experienced on the station for more than 40 years.

Who were the last 5 prime ministers of Australia?

As of September 2022, there are seven living former Australian prime ministers, as seen below.

  • Paul Keating. (1991–1996) 18 January 1944.
  • John Howard. (1996–2007) 26 July 1939.
  • Kevin Rudd. (2007–2010; 2013)
  • Julia Gillard. (2010–2013)
  • Tony Abbott. (2013–2015)
  • Malcolm Turnbull. (2015–2018)
  • Scott Morrison. (2018–2022)

Who were the first 10 prime ministers of Australia?

list of prime ministers of Australia

  • Edmund Barton (1901–03)
  • Alfred Deakin (1903–04; 1905–08; 1909–10)
  • John Christian Watson (1904)
  • George Houston Reid (1904–05)
  • Andrew Fisher (1908–09; 1910–13; 1914–15)
  • Joseph Cook (1913–14)
  • William Morris Hughes (1915–16; 1916–23)
  • Stanley Melbourne Bruce (1923–29)

Who won the 1972 election in Australia?

The incumbent Liberal–Country coalition government, led by Prime Minister William McMahon, was defeated by the opposition Labor Party led by Gough Whitlam. Labor’s victory ended 23 years of successive Coalition governments that began in 1949 and started the three-year Whitlam Labor Government.

Who was the longest serving Prime Minister in Australia?

Sir Robert Menzies was the longest serving prime minister of Australia, serving for 18 years and 163 days total. His first tenure (1939–1941) lasted 2 years and 125 days and his second tenure (1949–1966) 16 years and 38 days. Menzies’ second term of over 16 years was the longest single term.

What was wrong with the White Australia policy?

The policy had the effect of creating a population of overwhelmingly European, and largely Anglo-Celtic, descent. In refusing immigration by people of other ethnic origins, it also effectively limited the immigration of practitioners of non-Christian faiths.

Who was the first white person born in Australia?

On 25th January 1788 a child was recorded to have been born to a “Mrs. Whittle” between Botany Bay and Port Jackson, becoming the first European to be born in Australia. However the only person similarly named as part of the fleet’s company was a man, Edward Whitton.

What were the main achievements of the Whitlam Government?

The Whitlam government abolished the death penalty for federal crimes. Legal aid was established, with offices in each state capital. It abolished university fees, and established the Schools Commission to allocate funds to schools.

Who introduced Medicare?

the Whitlam government
Medibank. The first iteration of Medicare was called Medibank, and it was introduced by the Whitlam government in 1975, early in its second term. The federal opposition under Malcolm Fraser had rejected Bills relating to its financing, which is why it took the government so long to get it established.

What did they do at the Wave Hill walk-off?

On 23 August 1966, the Gurindji people of the Northern Territory made history with the Wave Hill Walk-Off. The landmark event made their names widely known across Australia and inspired national change. 200 Gurindji stockmen, domestic workers and their families at Wave Hill cattle station went on strike.

Why did they strike at Wave Hill walk-off?

In August 1966, Vincent Lingiari, a Gurindji spokesman, led a walk-off of 200 Aboriginal stockmen, house servants, and their families from Wave Hill as a protest against the work and pay conditions.

Why did the Wave Hill walk-off end?

On the station, the deferment of the commission’s ruling and the refusal of the Vestey Brothers to pay First Nations workers’ wages led to heated discussions. Through 1966 no progress was made in negotiations and the Gurindji community led by Vincent Lingiari walked off the station on 23 August.

Who was the longest serving Australian Prime Minister?

Who were the last 20 prime ministers of Australia?

Who was the longest serving Prime Minister of Australia?

Period of service
Sir Robert Menzies was the longest serving prime minister of Australia, serving for 18 years and 163 days total. His first tenure (1939–1941) lasted 2 years and 125 days and his second tenure (1949–1966) 16 years and 38 days. Menzies’ second term of over 16 years was the longest single term.

When did Australia declare war on Germany?

3 September 1939
Australia at War (3 September 1939)
On 3 September 1939, Prime Minister Robert Gordon Menzies announced that Australia was at war with Germany.

Who was in Australian government in 1974?

The incumbent Labor Party led by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam defeated the opposition Liberal–Country coalition led by Billy Snedden. This marked the first time that a Labor leader won two consecutive elections.

What was happening in 1972 Australia?

2 December – 1972 Australian federal election: The Labor Party led by Gough Whitlam defeats the Liberal/Country Coalition Government led by Prime Minister William McMahon. Consequently, Whitlam becomes the first Labor Prime Minister of Australia since the defeat of Ben Chifley in 1949.