As part of a condolence motion, Labor councillor, ANNE STANLEY, will deliver the following tribute to the former Member for Werriwa, the late Gough Whitlam, at tonight’s Liverpool Council meeting:
“It is with great pride that I move the condolence motion for the Hon. Edward Gough Whitlam AO, QC former member for Werriwa and the 21st prime minister of Australia. Mr Whitlam was the member for Werriwa for 25 years from 1952 to 1978. During this time Mr. Whitlam represented much of Liverpool Local Government Area. His influence on our city is noted by the many council assets which are named in his honour such as the Whitlam Centre, Whitlam ovals 1-4, and across our border in Fairfield Council the Whitlam library. His legacy of course is much deeper than this. It is his support of equality of opportunity; in healthcare, education, services the arts, libraries and much more.
As Australians we are still reaping the rewards from the reforms that were put in place during his Prime ministership from 5th December 1972 until 11 November 1975. His legacy is varied and touched every Australian citizen. Universal health care, recognition of Aboriginal rights, recognition of China, access to University Education no matter your economic circumstances, providing sewer to the western suburbs of Sydney, pension reforms, no fault divorce and support of the Arts to name only a few.
Mr Whitlam passed away on 21st October 2014 at the age of 98.
Like many of my generation living in the western suburbs of Sydney; Mr Whitlam had great influences on myself and my family. His support of women’s rights and the changes he made in the early sixties to the contribution of women in our great party mean that I sit here as woman and as an elected representative of the Labor party on Liverpool Council.
Some of my earliest memories involve Mr Whitlam, my father ringing from the election party in 1972 ( which was held at the El Toro Hotel at Warwick Farm) excited by the change in government after 23 years and the hope and promise that brought with it. My mother crying at his dismissal from office. My disappointment that he retired a little before I was able to vote for him. I have had the great privilege of serving on the Werriwa electorate council for many years as president and secretary.
I met Mr. Whitlam twice; once as a teenager, at my high school he came to open our first multicultural day, a celebration of cultures which made up our school and country. His presence was amazing he took time to walk around and look at each of the displays and talk to students. And then much later at a book launch for a book that my sister was a contributor too, again he was generous with his time, and was able to converse with everyone in the room, we talked about Liverpool and his recollections of western Sydney and Werriwa.
My Labor party colleagues in the room tonight know of his importance to our party and I’m sure those previous members here also understand what a great contribution he continued to make to Australia and Labor after his retirement. In fact Mr Joe Durrant, our former Mayor, rang me concerned that this Council had plans to properly recognise Mr Whitlam’s passing. He related that Mr Whitlam often walked the streets of Liverpool whilst he was a member and Prime Minister, without the need for security guards, chatting to residents and acknowledging acclamations that were called out to him as he passed. Mr Whitlam’s electorate office was indeed in Liverpool for some of his time in office and is now the office of the current Member for Liverpool. In fact at a Branch meeting last night one of our members Mr Jim Brassil spoke eloquently about his time as chief of staff for Hon Lance Barnard, Whitlam’s Deputy.
Paul Keating said of Whitlam “he changed the way Australia thought about itself and gave the country a new destiny, He helped create a more inclusive compassionate society that was more engaged in the world. Australia’s history can be divided as pre-1972 and post-1972.”
Most Australian Prime Ministers are interested in big issues, macroeconomic policy, foreign affairs, taxation, health policy etc. And Gough Whitlam certainly made major contributions in these areas. But Gough was also interested in issues that most Prime Ministers miss, the experience of living in Australian suburbs. Gough Whitlam was the first Labor leader to represent an electorate based in the suburbs of Western Sydney. His children went to school here. He knew what it was like to live in the Western Suburbs, the suburbs of Liverpool, the suburbs of his Electorate and because of this he knew what needed to be done to give everyone the opportunities to which they were entitled.
In Mr Whitlam’s own words: “My great objective as a parliamentarian was to dramatise the deficiencies and devise practical government programs to deal with them. It was a cause that went to the heart of our way of life. 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”
The Whitlam government was committed to improving life in suburbs like Liverpool, focusing on opportunities in the areas health, employment, transport, even sewerage. In fact his partner in life Margaret when she realised the lack of facilities such as libraries and swimming pools lobbied to have these essential community assets available to the people of the electorate. She served for many years on the committee of the local swimming club.
According to Labor Frontbencher Hon. Chris Bowen Shadow Treasurer:
“He loved what Neville Wran said of him: ‘It was said of Caesar Augustus that he found Rome brick and left it marble. It will be said of Gough Whitlam that he found the outer suburbs of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane unsewered and left them fully flushed.’”
Last year, in a speech to the Whitlam Institute, Noel Pearson reflected this way on the achievements of the Whitlam government:
“Thirty-eight years later we are like John Cleese, Eric Idle and Michael Palin’s Jewish insurgents in the Life of Brian ranting against the despotic rule of Rome, defiantly demanding
“and what did the Romans ever do for us anyway?”
“Apart from Medibank?”
“and the Trade Practices Act 1974?”
“cutting tariff protections?”
“and no-fault divorce and the Family Law Act 1975?”
“the Australia Council?”
“the Federal Court?”
“the Order of Australia?”
“federal legal aid?”
“the Racial Discrimination Act 1975?”
“needs-based schools funding?”
“the recognition of China?”
“the Law Reform Commission?”
“the abolition of conscription?”
“student financial assistance?”
“FM radio and the Heritage Commission?”
“non-discriminatory immigration rules?”
“community health clinics?”
“Aboriginal land rights?”
“paid maternity leave for public servants?”
“lowering the minimum voting age to 18 years?”
“fair electoral boundaries and Senate representation for the Territories?
Our own National Anthem
A University in Western Sydney”
“Apart from all of this, what did this Roman ever do for us?”
These are, by any measure, an impressive list of achievements.
Gough Whitlam’s legacy is the improvement of the lives of all Australians, all over this Country, those he gave choices too , single mothers, the young people who where the first in their families to gain a tertiary education that would not have otherwise been possible improved healthcare, where it was no longer a choice between a visit to the doctor or food on the table.
He believed that all people mattered and that there should be opportunities provided to improve their lot in life.
Whilst Mr Whitlam will be missed, as members of the ALP we will continue to fight for the ideals he stood for and believed in and will strive to make Australia and Liverpool a better place for all its citizens.
On behalf of my family and the community that I represent, I offer my deepest condolences to Gough’s family and especially his four children; Antony, Nicholas, Stephen and Catherine and his grandchildren. I am sure his loss will leave a large whole in their family.
It’s Time to say goodbye now. Mr Whitlam you leave us with a better life and profoundly grateful that you were our comrade, our neighbour, our advocate, our local member, and our Prime Minister and for many people like me, our hero.
Perhaps one, overused but highly appropriate word describes the Hon Edward Gough Whitlam best ; he is a “Legend.”
