Daily London
Half a century has now passed since then-Governor-General John Kerr used constitutional powers to oust a sitting prime minister.
But there’s a small chance it could happen again in modern politics.
“The dismissal breathed new life into the arcane and archaic reserve powers of the Crown – long thought obsolete, yet hiding in plain sight in the Constitution,” director of the Whitlam Institute, Professor John Juriansz, told nine.com.au.
“The basic institutional design of our system remains unchanged from those turbulent times.”
A governor-general’s power to dismiss a prime minister who has lost the confidence of the House of Representatives comes from the authority of the King or, as was the case in 1975, the Queen.
Juriansz said this week’s milestone brings the dismissal back under the political microscope and challenges the image of modern Australian democracy.
He explained that although a repeat of November 11, 1975, is unlikely, the significant scope of a governor-general’s reserve powers remains the same.
“No Constitutional amendment has arisen in the intervening years to restrict or remove these reserve powers – nor reform to enliven new powers to proclaim our national independence,” Juriansz added.
“This anniversary compels us to revisit not only the constitutional questions but also the social and political forces that shaped Australia in 1975.
“As Australians grapple with renewed questions about trust in government, constitutional accountability and media freedom, the 50th anniversary of the dismissal offers a timely opportunity to reflect on the events that tested the nation’s democratic institutions”
Historian and Palace Letters author Jenny Hocking also believes the anniversary should reignite an important debate around the quiet power of the Crown.
Hocking agrees that, though historically unique, the very same political events could unfold during Anthony Albanese’s term.
“It could happen again if the same circumstances arose,” Hocking explained.
“What I see is the need for a conversation, a national conversation, about how we might establish Australia as a fully independent nation, separate from what Gough Whitlam called the relics of colonialism that still exist in these sort of unexpected ways.”
However, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – who announced the government will commission a new statue of Whitlam to mark 50 years since the dismissal – does not appear to agree the dismissal was a symptom of a greater constitutional issue.
He gave a scathing appraisal of former governor-general Kerr in a speech on the day of the anniversary.
“Make no mistake: November 11th, 1975, was not a ‘constitutional crisis’ – it was a partisan political ambush,” Albanese said.
“There was no real precedent – and no legitimate pretext.”
