The first full day of the constitutional crisis saw debates and votes in parliament and a developing protest movement outside parliament.
Whitlam initiated a confidence motion in his government in the House of Representatives that was passed by 62 votes to 57.
The former Liberal prime minister, John Gorton, crossed the floor to vote with the Labor government. Gorton was a bitter foe of Malcolm Fraser, stemming from the 1971 conflict which saw Fraser resign from Gorton’s cabinet, precipitating Gorton’s downfall and replacement by William McMahon.