The Whitlam Dismissal and the Crisis of November 1975

📅 Monday 10 November 2025
🕘 9:00am-5:00pm
📍 Australia China in the World Lecture Theatre (Lotus Hall), Building 188A, Australian National University, Canberra

Event Overview

On 11 November 1975, the dismissal of the Whitlam Government plunged the nation into a political crisis.

Fifty years on, the events of November 1975 remain the most contested and consequential in Australian political history.

This one-day symposium, presented by the Whitlam Institute within Western Sydney University in partnership with the Australian Studies Institute within the Australian National University, brings together leading historians, jurists, political commentators and cultural voices to reflect on the Dismissal from multiple perspectives, from the Palace letters and political history to protest movements, public memory, and political cartoons.

Program Highlights

Session 1: The Double Dismissal: A 50 Year Reflection
Launch of a new commissioned paper by:
• Distinguished Whitlam Fellow, Emeritus Professor Jenny Hocking AM
• Dr Matt Harvey
Interlocutor: Honorary Professor Esther Anatolitis (RMIT University)

Session 2: The Dismissal from Below
Launch of a new commissioned paper by:
• Distinguished Whitlam Fellow, Professor Frank Bongiorno AM
• Dr James Watson
Interlocutor: Professor Michelle Arrow (Macquarie University)

Session 3: The Crisis of November 1975 and the Dismissal of the Whitlam Government
Facilitated panel discussion featuring:
• Distinguished Professor George Williams AO (Vice-Chancellor, Western Sydney University)
• The Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP (Member for Isaacs; former Commonwealth Attorney-General)
• The Hon Justice Michael Lee (Federal Court of Australia)
• Julia Baird (ABC journalist, broadcaster, author)
• Troy Bramston (Whitlam Biographer, Journalist, The Australian)
• The Hon Amanda Vanstone AO (former Liberal Senator for South Australia)
Interlocutor: Professor Mark Kenny (ANU)

Session 4: Drawing the Divide: Political Cartoons and the Dismissal
• Mike Bowers in conversation with Cathy Wilcox and Fiona Katauskas
• Featuring historical and contemporary political cartoons reflecting on the Dismissal

Additional Information

• Morning tea, lunch and afternoon refreshments provided.
• The day concludes with drinks and canapés between 4.00pm and 5.00pm.

🎟️ Admission is free, but registration is essential.
This event will reach capacity: early booking is strongly encouraged.

Presented by:
• The Whitlam Institute within Western Sydney University
• The Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University