Page 3538 - Week 11 - Thursday, 23 October 2014
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protecting the heritage fabric of Australian cities. By the 1970s Glebe in Sydney had undergone significant decay and was seen by many as an eyesore in the city. The area was slated for wide-scale demolition to make way for a freeway planned by the New South Wales government. Once it came to power, the Whitlam government purchased a large tract of land that lay in the proposed freeway’s path, effectively preventing its construction. The 700 buildings on the land were then restored, leading to the revitalisation of the area. I think this shows Gough’s character supremely well—doing everything within his control to ensure the best possible outcome for the community.
Of course, these were not the only revolutionary ways Gough changed Australia for the better. Gough Whitlam also made many other legislative changes to ensure Australians had a safe, prosperous and equal future with environmental protection laws, land rights and racial discrimination acts being just a few of the more truly inspirational reforms at the time.
But there is a personal side to Mr Whitlam as well, and many would see or remember that particular footage of the dismissal speech on the steps of Parliament House. There were a couple of other people in the audience there too—the VIP protection guys that I got to know later in life: Bob Heggie, Peter Holden, Peter Hunter, who stayed in that role all the way through to Bob Hawke and also Paul Keating’s time in office. They told us of the personal interactions of the then Prime Minister. He would return home to the Lodge after a long day and Margaret and he would cook them all a T-bone steak and join them in a glass of red towards the end of the night—a fantastic human being.
Of course, it is not only the chamber this week that acknowledged this larger than life man who will forever have a place in Australia’s history books, and I think Gough would have taken great pride in the speeches delivered in the national parliament on Tuesday. I think it would be appropriate to take the words of the current federal Labor leader, Bill Shorten:
Gough’s ambition went beyond his desire to serve our nation; he wanted to transform it—completely, permanently—and he did.
MS PORTER (Ginninderra): As those that have spoken before me on both sides of the chamber, I rise to pay tribute to Edward Gough Whitlam AC QC. Many would say that it was most appropriate that he was our 21st Prime Minister, as he dragged this nation, with many doubters kicking and screaming, into an era where many of us believe we came of age. A colossus in every sense of the word, from his towering stature, his soaring intellect, his expansive vision, his beautifully modulated voice, he was in every way a man of his times. Every time you were in his presence, every time you saw him, every time you heard him speak you just knew that this was a truly exceptional man, a man whose journey you wanted to share with sheer exhilaration and excitement of being along for the ride.
Whitlam, of course, was a man on a mission and many would say—and they were probably right, as many have said this morning—that he had a crash through or crash mentality. Many would say he tried to do too much in the three short years of his prime ministership. We heard from Minister Barr this morning that long list of achievements, and I must admit I got quite exhausted by the time he had finished the
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