The National Archives of Australia has tonight released Cabinet documents from 1975.
The documents cover the period of the Second Whitlam Government until its dismissal on November 11, 1975, and the First and Second Fraser Governments from November 11 and December 22.
A mass of documents is now available that will take some time to come to grips with. An early perusal shows that Treasurer Jim Cairns described the economic situation at the beginning of 1975 as “very bad” and said “there are no quick solutions”. Cairns advocated deficit reduction but not to the extent that it jeopardised the government’s program. Later in the year, the new Treasurer, Bill Hayden, also contemplated a rising deficit and said it was “as attractive as going to sleep in the snow”.
During the constitutional crisis precipitated by the Opposition’s use of its Senate numbers to defer the Supply Bills in October, the Whitlam Cabinet took a decision not to provide funds for government Christmas cards. The Cabinet documents also reveal the detail of the government’s attempts to make alternative arrangements to pay public servants, contractors, etc.
- 1975 Cabinet Records and Selected Documents
- What’s In the 1975 Cabinet Records
- 1975 Cabinet Records In Context
- Events and Issues that Made the News in 1975
- Key Political Figures of 1975
- 1975 Cabinet Members and Committees
- Complete List of Cabinet Submissions and Decisions
The National Archives has highlighted a number of Cabinet papers – all PDF, will open in new window:
- An Obstructive Senate
- The Caretaker Government
- Grim Economic Prospects
- 1975-76 Budget Strategy
- Tightening the Belt
- Industrial Relations
- Land Rights: The Question of Compensation
- Land Rights: Queensland Reserves
- Land Rights: Aboriginal Land (Northern Territory) Bill
- International Womens Year
- Environmental Protection
- Cyclone Tracy: Assistance to Public Servants
- Cyclone Tracy: Compensation
- Cyclone Tracy: Re-building Darwin
Media Coverage:
- Gough’s ministry of truth – John Stone, The Australian, (10/1/06)
- Gough legalised home brewing – Letter to the Editor, The Australian (9/1/06)
- In thrall of Gough – Letters to the Editor, The Age (8/1/06)
- Gough gave loans nod: GG’s man – The Australian (7/1/06)
- The Whitlam Myth – Editorial, The Australian (7/1/06)
- PM the architect of his own misfortune – David Smith, The Australian (7/1/06)
- It’s Time – Bill Leak cartoon, The Australian (7/1/06)
- Whitlam years a shining phase in our history – Mark McKenna, The Australian (6/1/06)
- One-sided view of history – Des Moore, The Australian (6/1/06)
- Loans affair is not the whole story – Mike Steketee, The Australian (5/1/06)
- The much feted failure – P.P. McGuinness, The Australian (5/1/06)
- Rage shall not weary him – Geoffrey Barker, Financial Review (subscription) (3/1/06)
- Documents must speak for themselves – Ian Moore, The Australian (3/1/06)
- Letters to the Editor 1 – The Australian (3/1/06)
- Letters to the Editor 2 – The Australian (3/1/06)
- Whitlam cabinet deeply divided – audio – AM (2/1/06)
- Hours after taking power Fraser took a stand over racist regimes – SMH (2/1/06)
- Economic missteps aided infamous political demise – SMH (2/1/06)
- Voters gave Gough’s grandeur the flick – SMH (2/1/06)
- Find out what went on – SMH (2/1/06)
- Lingering riddle of big Rex’s downfall – Malcolm Farr, Daily Telegraph (2/1/06)
- Principle or economy: Labor chose too late – Australian (2/1/06)
- Christmas card ban first measure to be lifted – Australian (2/1/06)
- Trials and tribulations of our worst cabinet – John Stone, Australian (2/1/06)
- Paul Keating’s coup d’etat plot takes the anniversary cake – from Quadrant magazine, Australian (2/1/06)
- Gough urges a little respect – Courier-Mail (2/1/06)
- Danger of dismissal still exists – Courier-Mail (2/1/06)
- Whitlam debunks Kerr’s claims – Courier-Mail (2/1/06)
- No love lost between leaders – Courier-Mail (2/1/06)
- Besieged Cairns lost support – Courier-Mail (2/1/06)
- Gough’s men scrooges as the money ran short – The Age (1/1/06)
- PM read ministers the riot act – The Age (1/1/06)
- $2.5m ‘gift’ for new hit – The Age (1/1/06)
- One man defines a year of upheaval – The Age (1/1/06)
- Whitlam’s plan to settle economy revealed – news.com.au (1/1/06)
- Whitlam’s Secrets Revealed – Sunday Telegraph (1/1/06)
- Back off, war hero told Kerr – Sunday Mail (Brisbane) (1/1/06)
- War hero tried to save Gough – Sunday Herald-Sun (1/1/06)
- Crisis newspaper bid – Sunday Mail (Adelaide) (1/1/06)
- Abandon Darwin – Sunday Territorian (1/1/06)
