Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I am proud to offer a tribute on behalf of the people of Kingsford Smith to the life of Edward Gough Whitlam and the profound effect that he had on Australia, particularly those in my community. Gough Whitlam changed the way Australians saw themselves and, indeed, the way the rest of the world saw Australia. He inspired Australians. He gave us a new confidence, a renewed spirit and an optimism about the future that we previously never had.

The famous Australian artist Arthur Boyd once said that when the Whitlam government returned to power he felt proud to call himself Australian again. The fact is, all Australians again felt proud to call themselves Australian as a result of the Whitlam government. Gough Whitlam saw politics as a noble profession and an honourable one, and he saw the role of leadership in politics as fundamental to progress and making a difference to the lives of Australians and indeed the attitudes and the confidence that Australians had about themselves and their nation. He changed Australian lives in so many ways: the introduction of universal health care; in education, introducing needs based funding for schools; free tertiary education; having the first adviser on women in his government; equal pay for women; no-fault divorce; income support for single mums; land rights for Aboriginal Australians; the introduction of an Aboriginal Legal Service; protection of the Great Barrier Reef; and the introduction of the Australia Council for the Arts. He even gave our nation its national anthem.

For me, the leadership and the foresight of Gough Whitlam is summed up by the very controversial purchase of Blue Poles, the famous artwork by United States artist Jackson Pollock in 1973. At the time, Gough Whitlam was hounded by the conservative politicians and the conservative media in this country about the purchase. The head of the Australian National Gallery was concerned about the purchase. He wrote to Gough Whitlam and said, 'I'm wondering whether we should be a little bit more conservative about this purchase.' Gough Whitlam quickly wrote back to him and said, 'Purchase the artwork and disclose the price to the Australian people.' And that is what he did: $1.3 million for the purchase of that artwork.

As I said, Gough Whitlam was hounded by the conservative forces in this country. But that did not deter him. Gough Whitlam published a photo of Blue Poles on his Christmas cards that year, so proud was he of what he was doing for Australia. That particular artwork, which hangs in the National Gallery of Australia, is now worth over $100 million, and the United States government is actually quite disappointed that they allowed such an iconic artwork to be purchased by a foreign government for such as low price. I think it is a great symbol of the value Gough Whitlam added to Australia. Not only did he add value to this artwork—a great asset for the Australian people—but he also added value to Australia in so many ways: in our economy, by reducing tariffs; in social services, through Medicare; through land rights and the like; and through support for Australia's position throughout the world.

In international relations, he is often well known for re-establishing relations with China and establishing a strong relationship with Indonesia. He was a master of international diplomacy and saw Australia expanding its sphere of influence throughout Asia and the Pacific Islands. He was also a staunch supporter of decolonisation. When he was elected, Gough turned his attention to Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea benefited tremendously from the election of the Whitlam government. In 1973 he granted PNG self-government and delivered independence two years later. Papua New Guinea's first Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare, recalled Gough Whitlam when he spoke recently about the incredible impact Gough Whitlam had on him and his country:

He said to me one day, 'when Labor's opportunity comes, we'll make sure we will push for self governing and independence for Papua New Guinea'. And of course, it happened.

He pushed other Australians and said to them, 'Give an opportunity to the Indigenous of their country and they will achieve what they want.'

The current Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Peter O'Neill, also paid tribute to Gough Whitlam recently when he said:

Gough Whitlam's Prime Ministership was almost synonymous with Papua New Guinea's transition to independence and the people of our nation express our gratitude.

Gough was also a great friend of wider Pacific nations, in particular fighting to end atmospheric nuclear testing in the region. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, when the French government conducted nuclear tests in French Polynesia, with the fallout spreading throughout the region, Gough Whitlam strongly opposed those actions because of the impact it was having on human health and the fact that it violated a resolution of the United National General Assembly. Gough was a big believer in the foresight and effect of the United Nations in terms of peace and stability throughout the world. On 9 May 1973, the Australian and New Zealand governments took France to the International Court of Justice, seeking an injunction against further testing. On 22 June, that injunction was granted.

Gough Whitlam's influence has been felt far and wide, the hallmark of a true leader who has left a remarkable legacy not only here in Australia but around the world. On behalf of the people of Kingsford Smith, I offer my condolences to the Whitlam family. May he rest in peace.

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