Gough Whitlam, Australia’s twenty-first prime minister, swept to power in December 1972, ending twenty-three years of conservative rule. In barely three years Whitlam’s dramatic reform agenda would transform Australia. It was an ascendancy bitterly resented by some, never accepted by others, and ended with dismissal by the Governor-General – an outcome that polarised debate and left many believing the full story had not been told.
In this much anticipated second volume of her biography of Gough Whitlam, Hocking has used previously unearthed archival material and extensive interviews with Gough Whitlam, his family, colleagues and foes, to bring the key players in these dramatic events to life. This definitive biography takes us behind the political intrigue to reveal a devastated Whitlam and his personal struggle in the aftermath of the dismissal, during the unfulfilled years that followed and his eventual political renewal as Australia’s ambassador to UNESCO. And of course, through the highs and the lows of his decades of public life Whitlam depended absolutely on the steadfast support of the love of his life, Margaret. For this is also the story of a remarkable marriage and an enduring partnership.
The truth of this tumultuous period in Australia’s history is finally revealed in this engaging narrative—Gough Whitlam: His Time.
Media Spotlight
The Third Man in Whitlam’s downfall
Professor Jenny Hocking sheds new light on the constitutional crisis that led to Gough Whitlam’s political demise.
Kerr’s papers reveal man behind Whitlam sacking
Michael Gordon, National Affairs Editor, The Age
Jenny Hocking will be appearing at the Melbourne Writers Festival:
Labor in Vain
Steve Bracks, Jenny Hocking, Maxine McKew, Laura Tingle
Date: Sunday 26 August 2012 at 2.30pm
Venue: BMW Edge, Federation Square
As its state governments are blasted from office and its federal fate seems sealed, is the Labor Party in crisis or experiencing hic
