A well said tribute by Melanie Sheridan deserves a reprise: In his first 10 days of prime ministership, Gough Whitlam withdrew Australian troops from Vietnam, ended conscription, released all draft dodgers from prison, officially supported Nelson Mandela’s campaign against apartheid, banned racist sports teams from touring Australia, established diplomatic relations with China, removed restrictions on oral contraceptives and re-opened the equal pay for women case, appointing a woman to head it. In his first 100 days he established the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, eliminated the White Australia policys racial discrimination in immigration, replaced God Save the Queen with ‘Advance Australia Fair’, ditched the British Honours system in favour of an Australian one and set up environmental protections for Australian fauna. In his (not) full term, he lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, passed legislation to protect the Great Barrier Reef, created the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australian Film Commission, established minimum Australian content rules and Triple J (then 2JJ), abolished the death penalty, ended Australian colonialism by granting independence to PNG, made university education free for all, and introduced the Racial Discrimination Act, multiculturalism, universal healthcare, the single mother’s benefit and no-fault divorce. Never forget these things we take for granted. Stand up for them. Fight for them. Maintain your rage.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 05:51:17 +0000
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