Gough Whitlam Timeline

By TacoTreeko

  • 21st Prime Minister

    Gough Whitlam was elected the 21st Prime Minister for the Labor Party in 1972.

  • Aboriginal Affairs

    Whitlams government was upgrading the Office of Aboriginal Affairs to ministerial level.

  • Whitlam in China

    The first visit of an Australian Prime Minister to China marked Australia’s trade agreement with the People's Republic of China. Gough Whitlam had visited China in 1971, as part of a Labor Party delegation, a month before United States President Nixon made his historic visit.

  • 29th federal election

    Labor under Prime Minister Gough Whitlam retained government.

  • Diplomatic relations with North Korea

    The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea opened an embassy in Australia. The following April an Australian embassy opened in North Korea. On 30 October 1975, North Korea withdrew its embassy from Canberra and on 6 November expelled the staff of the Australian embassy in Pyongyang.

  • Law rules

    The Racial Discrimination Act enacted, outlawing discrimination on the grounds of race.

  • Medibank begins

    The government introduced Medibank, Australia’s first national health insurance scheme.

  • Handover at Wattie Creek

    At Daguragu in the Northern Territory, Vincent Lingiari of the Gurindji people formally accepted from Prime Minister Gough Whitlam title deeds to a part of their traditional lands.

  • Independence Day

    Papua New Guinea became independent, ending remaining Australian responsibilities in the self-governing country.

  • Voted Out

    Gough Whitlam was finally voted out of Prime Ministership.