The dismissal of the Whitlam ALP government by the Governor-General Sir John Kerr on 11 November 1975 was the most dramatic event in Australian political history. The events surrounding the dismissal involved three of the most egotistical and stubborn men: Gough Whitlam, John Kerr and Malcolm Fraser. This book is a new account that draws on new sources, some of which were not previously available. The conclusion is damning of all three of the main players, but most especially of Kerr who defied convention in his actions. But it was also Whitlam's refusal to see the danger and act accordingly that was equally his undoing.

By 1977, the Queen had a deep distrust and dislike of Kerr and wanted him to resign, which he duly did on 8 December 1977.

Kerr tipped off Malcolm Fraser on the morning of 11 November that he was going to dismiss Whitlam as PM and set conditions on Fraser assuming the caretaker PM role.

Kerr kept his actions secret from Whitlam in the belief that Whitlam would dismiss him if he learnt of Kerr's thinking. Most observers agree that this was an act of deception that was counter to the convention that the Governor-General should act on the advice of the Prime Minister. And Whitlam and the ALP were entirely deceived into thinking that Kerr was onside with them. In turn, Kerr refused to counsel or warn Whitlam before acting to dismiss him.

Kerr sought advice from the Chief Justice of the High Court, Sir Garfield Barwick, a former minister in the Menzies Liberal government, and Sir Anthony Mason, another judge on the High Court. That advice tarnished the High Court, and subsequent Chief Justices have resolved to ensure that such an event does not recur in order to maintain the separation of powers of the different arms of government.

Whitlam never saw Kerr as a serious political player, believing that he lacked courage, strength and temperament for politics. Whitlam believed that the Governor-General was no more than a rubber stamp - a fatal misunderstanding of the man.

Whitlam tried to convince Kerr that the regal reserve powers were obsolete. But Kerr believed they still existed thanks to his mentors: H.V. (Doc) Evatt and Garfield Barwick; who believed likewise.

Malcolm Fraser was the person responsible for the constitutional crisis by engineering the Senate to block Supply, the money bills that helped pay for the running of government business. He believed that the Whitlam government was reckless, and like many on the conservative side he believed that the Liberals were "born to rule". His tactic was to use the Senate to force the government into another election - something that had never been used before. Whitlam felt that this contravened the principle that the government was elected by the people in the House of Representatives.

Fraser knew that Kerr feared that Whitlam would dismiss him, and so used this knowledge to encourage Kerr to act first.

11 November 1975 was the last date that an election to be held before the end of that year could be called. Both Whitlam and Kerr knew this. Whitlam wanted to call a half-senate election in order to break the impasse in the senate. However, Kerr knew that without the supply bills being passed the government would run out of money before a half-senate election. So Kerr favoured a full election and extracted a promise from Fraser that he would pass supply and hold a full election. Whitlam was confident of his position and oblivious of the alternatives that Kerr and Fraser had in mind.

Following the dismissal, Whitlam failed to inform his senators, as a result the supply bills were passed in the Senate thus denying Labor the chance of thwarting Fraser's agreement to pass the money bills and potentially unravel Kerr's agreement with Fraser. This was another tactical blunder on Whitlam's part.

The British, especially the High Commissioner in Canberra, were completely taken by surprise by the dismissal. They believed that Kerr had acted prematurely and could have let events run several weeks longer before action, if any, needed to be taken.

There is an oft repeated conspiracy theory that the CIA was involved in the dismissal of the Whitlam government because of a threat to the operation of the joint intelligence base at Pine Gap that occurred in parallel with the events surrounding the dismissal. Kerr refuted this, claiming that he acted without foreign intervention. There is no evidence that the CIA were involved, despite repeated claims. The political events of the day completely explain the situation.

Subsequent Labor leaders believe that Fraser was the real villain of the dismissal because of the blocking of the supply bills contrary to convention. Kerr was Fraser's unwitting agent. However, the events of the dismissal transformed the ALP so that it addressed the weaknesses of the Whitlam years as was evidenced by the Hawke-Keating years in government - the longest period of Labor government.

A couple of extracts from the last few chapters summarise the saga:
- "The legacy of the dismissal and the quest for vindication haunted Kerr for the rest of his life."
- "The moral ... is that Whitlam was his government's greatest strength and its greatest weakness."

I’m surprised that this account was not more damning of Whitlam than it was. Especially as the authors work for the Australian newspaper, part of the Murdoch empire and unashamed enemies of Labor. It appears to be a fairly balanced story that uses the facts gleaned from many sources, including words of many of the politicians from both sides and some journalists who lived through the saga. As it is a dry read, I give it 3 stars. ( )