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Article: Republican with a king-size grudge
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- November 13, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1995 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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To the baby-boom generation, Gough Whitlam was an Australian
hero. When he led the Labor Party to power in 1972, many saw it as
the dawn of a new era. After 23 years of steady but stuffy
government by the conservative Liberal-National coalition, Mr
Whitlam promised to take Australia into the 20th century on a
rollercoaster ride of political reforms.
Divorce and immigration laws were liberalised, military
conscription was abolished, money was poured into film, dance,
opera and other cultural activities, university fees were
abolished, British (or "Imperial") honours were replaced by
Australian orders and archaic constitutional links with Britain
were severed.
While Mr Whitlam carved out a ...