Following his dismissal, Whitlam returned to The Lodge and ate a steak for lunch. It was just after 1pm.
The media was covering what it believed to be the calling of a half-Senate election.
The half-Senate election had to be held by around May 1976. New senators would not take their seats until July 1, 1976. However, the new Territory senators would take their places immediately. Whilst no-one seriously believed the election would alter the balance of numbers in the Senate, Whitlam’s strategy was to put pressure on the Opposition to pass the Budget bills.