Change and Continuity in Australia under Gough Whitlam Labor Essay

Change and Continuity in Australia under Gough Whitlam Labor Government - Essay Example This paper will examine change under Whitlam but also aspects of continuity Whitlam is regarded an iconic figure in the political history of Australia, because he was remarkable as an exponent of political and other changes, where many of the changes he pushed for yielded positive impacts – irrespective of the fact that, the benefits of the changes were not openly visible in many cases (Staveley, n.d). Following the diverse interpretation of the effects of the then government – on Australia and also the political rivalry between the opposition and the government headed by Whitlam – the Governor General of the state, John Kerr took the measures of removing Whitlam from office; such a step had not been taken before, throughout the history of Australian politics and administrative roles. The dismissal of the Prime Minister in 1975, led to the end of an administrative era, which was celebrated among some, but which also reshaped the meaning developed around the polit ics of Australia (LINKS, n.d). ... For example, Whitlam’s election in 1967 marked a change from the election of members that held experience as workers prior to their enrolment in politics. The election of Whitlam marked the start of a new system of politics and a new generation of leaders, where the change continued to be mirrored in the parliamentary caucus (Bramble and Kuhn, 1999). The change was continued into the future, which was evident from the statistics that 63 percent of senate and House of Representatives from the Labor party were those from a blue collar background. Following Whitlam’s government, there was a change from the limited focus of the government on international affairs, to the case where it actively participated in international society affairs. The involvement in internal society affairs was marked by the country’s increased engagement of international organizations, and also its participation in the making of international agreements (Australian History, 2006). This chan ge was evident through activities like the opening up of state relations with Communist China (National Archives of Australia, 2009). As an active change agent, he travelled widely, more than the Prime Ministers that came after him, which marked an iconic era in the government’s participation in international affairs. There is also an evident thread of discontinuity from the labor policies of the era under Whitlam’s government. Many of the changes reflect a change from more radical to a more moderate outlook of policy formulation, like it had been suggested by Maddox. Some of the discontinuities mark the changes that appeal to increased capital accumulation, where the scope of programs has been