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The Dismissal – 30th Anniversary

Thirty years after The Dismissal, it remained a subject of intense media scrutiny.

In the weeks leading up to November 11, 2005, the Australian media devoted considerable space to reminiscences and analyses.

David Smith, the Governor-General's secretary, reads the Proclamation Dissolving Parliament on the afternoon of November 11, 1975.

Six new or revised books were published in this period:

  1. The Truth of the Matter – a third edition of Gough Whitlam’s 1979 book was published with a new introduction and appendices which chronicle the history of Senate obstruction of his government and other parliamentary events.
  2. The Great Crash – originally published in 1979 as “Illusions of Power”, Michael Sexton’s book remains a definitive analysis of the Dismissal. The new edition contains a new introduction and concluding chapter.
  3. The Dismissal: Where Were You On November 11, 1975? – edited by Sybil Nolan, this book contains 28 chapters by participants and observers from 1975. They remember where they were on November 11 and discuss the political and social climate of the time.
  4. a figure of speech: a political memoir – Graham Freudenberg’s elegant prose revisits the rise and fall of the Whitlam era. As speechwriter for Labor leaders from Calwell to Carr, Freudenberg’s record of his time with Whitlam is invaluable.
  5. Head of State – Sir David Smith was the Governor-General’s official secretary in 1975. His book takes issue with much of the published material on the Dismissal.
  6. 1975 Australia’s Greatest Year – Mark Juddery examines the year he believes is “perhaps the most exciting and significant year in Australia’s political and cultural history”.

Media Coverage of 30th Anniversary

Dec 01, 2005

Nov 28, 2005

Nov 25, 2005

Nov 18, 2005

Nov 17, 2005

Nov 16, 2005

Nov 15, 2005

Nov 14, 2005

Nov 13, 2005

Nov 12, 2005

Nov 11, 2005

Nov 10, 2005

Nov 09, 2005

Nov 08, 2005

Nov 07, 2005

Nov 06, 2005

Nov 05, 2005

Nov 04, 2005

Nov 03, 2005

Nov 02, 2005

Nov 01, 2005

October 31, 2005

October 30, 2005

October 29, 2005

Oct 28, 2005

Oct 22, 2005

Oct 15, 2005

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Malcolm Farnsworth
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