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Posts published in “Whitlam Speeches”

Certainly, The Impotent Are Pure: Whitlam’s Speech To The Victorian ALP State Conference

June 9, 1967

This is Gough Whitlam’s speech to the annual conference of the Victorian ALP, in which he challenged the party to change and said that, “certainly, the impotent are pure”.

The speech was delivered just four months after Whitlam’s election as leader of the ALP, following its landslide defeat at the November 1966 election.

Whitlam signalled that he was willing to stand up to the ALP. The speech is an important milestone in his battle to reform the party internally and renovate its policy platform.

The PDF below is taken from the E-Collection of the Whitlam Institute.

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Gough Whitlam’s Maiden Speech

March 19, 1953

This is the text of Gough Whitlam’s maiden speech to the House of Representatives.

Whitlam spoke on the Supply Bill.

Maiden speech by Gough Whitlam in the House of Representatives, March 19, 1953.

Mr WHITLAM (Werriwa) [8.36] – Before the House grants Supply, I too, should like to make some comments on the record of the Government which proposes to expend that appropriation. The matter of finance was very dear to the heart of my predecessor, the late Hubert Peter Lazzarini. At the time he died, he was the father of the Labour party in this Parliament. There were only two persons in the House who had spent a longer time in it than he had. One was the Minister for Health (Sir Earle Page), who founded the Australian Country party and, I am happy to say, looks as if he will survive it. The other was the late right honourable member for Bradfield, Mr. Hughes, who, in his last 40 years in this House, had joined and left every party represented in it except the Australian Country party. Mr. Lazzarini had always belonged to the Labour party, had always adhered to its principles, and had given strength to both —–

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