Gough Whitlam and Lance Barnard governed as a duumvirate from December 5-19, 1972.
On December 19, the full Whitlam ministry was sworn in.
To mark the occasion, Whitlam addressed the nation on television on December 20, 1972.
Posts published in December 1972
Audio of Prime Minister William McMahon conceding defeat in the 1972 election.
In a front page editorial, on December 1, 1972, The Australian newspaper, endorsed the election of Gough Whitlam and the ALP.
It was the second front-page editorial in a week that advocated a change of government.
Titled The party for the times, the paper said Whitlam offered a “coherent programme of action over a wide range of areas which the present Government has either neglected or only belatedly taken an interest”.
Comparing Whitlam with Liberal Prime Minister William McMahon, the paper said: “Certainly there must be an element of risk in voting the Labor Party into power after 23 years. But in view of his performance over the past 20 months, surely there would be more risk returning Mr McMahon.