Governor-General Dismisses PM: Australia's Constitutional Crisis
Sir John Kerr made the call alone. No warning to Whitlam, no heads-up to the Queen. Just a letter, handed over at 1 p.m. on November 11, stripping the elected Prime Minister of his job in minutes. Whitlam had governed for three years — Labor's first win in 23 years — gone in an afternoon. Fraser won the December election by a landslide. But here's the twist: Kerr's own reputation never recovered. The man who wielded ultimate constitutional power died largely reviled, Whitlam outliving him by decades.
November 11, 1975
51 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Australia
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Prime Minister of Australia
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Governor-General of Australia
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December
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John Kerr (Governor-General)
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Malcolm Fraser
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Gough Whitlam
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Australian constitutional crisis of 1975
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1975 Australian constitutional crisis
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Governor-General of Australia
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John Kerr (governor-general)
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Gough Whitlam
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Malcolm Fraser
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Prime Minister of Australia
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1975 Australian federal election
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