Overview

"Cover image: Gough Whitlam addresses a crowd outside Parliament House on the day after his government was dismissed, on 12 November 1975. Source: News Limited © Ross Duncan. \nThe election of the Whitlam government in 1972 marked a turning point in 20th century Australia. Shaking off the vestiges of two decades of conservative rule, Gough Whitlam brought new ideas, new policies and new people to the task of governing. \nBursting with energy and expectation, the Labor government led a reform revolution in many areas, from education and health to the environment and foreign policy. But alongside the great achievements were great failures and, ultimately, great tragedy when the government was dismissed. \nFor the first time, Gough Whitlam, ministers, advisers, public servants, party and union insiders provide a unique account of this turbulent period in Australian politics. They reveal what worked and what didn’t, and shed light on the personalities driving the engines of change. \nThe candid views of insiders are balanced with analysis from journalists and academics. The book also includes new research and previously unpublished photos and archival documents. The Whitlam Legacy provides the definitive account of the government that changed Australia forever. \n  \n* Click here for information about The Whitlam Legacy 2015 PAPERBACK \n______________________________________________________ \n""This book really is a great work of scholarship. It is a primer for anyone interested in politics or interested in carving out a career in politics. To get these people to write about the Whitlam government is a real tribute to Troy Bramston. From now on, nobody will be able to write about the Whitlam government without consulting The Whitlam Legacy."" Bob Carr \n__________________________________________________ \nThe Whitlam Legacy in the Paper… \n \n Kerr’s word play masked his reasons behind Whitlam’s dismissal Read full article... \n \n \n Parting words for the party Gough loves Read full article... \n \n \n Gough Whitlam duumvirate's whirlwind of change Read full article... \n \n \n Gough changed us and saved ALP Read full article... \n \n \n Labor must heed Whitlam and not waste this chance to reform Read full article... \n \n \n Whitlam's legacy resonates today-Shorten Read full article... \n \n \n Gough Whitlam 'a stroke of luck' for the lucky country Read full article... \n \n \n Abandon doubt Read full article... \n \n \n Gough in stereo Read full article... \n \nThe Whitlam Legacy Launch on TV… \n \n Channel 7 News Watch report... \n Channel 9 News Watch report... \n \nThe Whitlam Legacy (Troy Bramston/Contributors) on Radio… \n \n Troy Bramston on Radio National with Fran Kelly Listen to full interview... \n Troy Bramston on Radio National with Fran Kelly Watch interview... \n Troy Bramston on 2UE with Paul Murray Listen to full interview... \n Bob Carr on 4BC with Ian Skippen and Donna Lynch Listen to full interview... \n \nThe Whitlam Legacy Alerts… \n \n Abbey’s Bookshop: The Whitlam Legacy tops bestseller, Non-Fiction list of the week Click to view... \n Frank Bongiorno's chapter online, Inside Story: Whitlam, the 1960s and The Program Click to read... \n"

Full Product Details

Author:   Troy Bramston
Publisher:   Federation Press
Imprint:   Federation Press
Weight:   0.982kg
ISBN:  

9781862879034

ISBN 10:   1862879036
Pages:   544
Publication Date:   25 November 2013
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
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Table of Contents

Foreword, Gough Whitlam Preface Introduction Prologue: The Whitlam Ascendancy, Troy Bramston Part One - The Whitlam Years and Political Style Gough Whitlam: In his Father's Shadow, Michael Kirby I was a Teenage Whitlamite, Bob Carr Whitlam, the 1960s and The Program, Frank Bongiorno The Art of the Matter, Graham Freudenberg Hearts and Minds: The Meaning of 'It's Time', Nick Cater Gough Whitlam: The Campaigner, Richard Farmer Victories, Defeats and Electoral Politics, Malcolm Mackerras Whitlam's Opposition, Gerard Henderson Part Two - Managing Government The Whitlam Government Through the Cabinet Papers, Troy Bramston Inside the Prime Minister's Office, Evan Williams A View from the Backbench Ralph Willis The Public Service, J R Nethercote Whitlam and the Media, Eric Walsh Scandals, Rodney Tiffen Part Three - Policy and the Whitlam Government Economic Policy, John O'Mahony Health Policy, John Deeble Education Policy, Michael Hogan Social Policy, Brian Howe Women of Australia, Susan Ryan Environment Policy, Jeff Angel Industrial Relations Policy, Michael Easson Primary Industry Policy, John Kerin Immigration and Multiculturalism, Mary Kalantzis and Bill Cope Aboriginal Affairs, Frank Brennan It's Time, the Arts and Cultural Policy, Patricia Amphlett Foreign and Defence Policy, Gordon Bilney Law Reform and the Constitution, George Williams Part Four - The Dismissal The Dismissal, Michael Sexton Sir John Did His Duty, Peter van Onselen Media, Politics and The Dismissal, Leigh Hatcher The Untold Story of The Dismissal, Troy Bramston and Paul Kelly Part Five - Reflections and Assessments A Personal Perspective, Kep Enderby Politics, Policy and Labor in Retrospect, Moss Cass with Vivien Encel Papua New Guinea: A Quiet Achievement, Bill Morrison Gough Whitlam and Labor Tradition, Carol Johnson A View from the Press Gallery, Geoff Kitney Gough Whitlam: The Political Singularity, Barry Jones The Whitlam Legacy, Paul Kelly Epilogue: Whitlam's True Believers, Troy Bramston.

Reviews

The book's programmatic attention to political style, media and campaigning; the management (and mismanagement) of government; to views from those in cabinet, those on the backbench and those inside the Prime Minister's Office; and then to policy is invaluable. Read full review... - James Walter, Australian Journal of Politics and History, Sept 2014 Forty years on. This book tells a tale which is still exhilarating and devastating. Awe inspiring in what it reveals of the extent of policy preparation and shocking in its revelation of the failure to engage the processes to make it happen. All entering parliament and/or aspiring to a political career should read this book - and reflect on it in the light of what became of subsequent Labor governments. Read full review... - June R Verrier, Australasian Study of Parliament Group, April 2014 Bramston's new effort, The Whitlam Legacy, ought to be read consistent with the other milestone books of the period ... Bramston has assembled a formidable array of talent as narrators. [The book] does justice to the Whitlam experiment, highlighting political and legislative success, while never ignoring failure or folly. Troy Bramston has done an admirable job in seeking to bring many threads in this political tapestry together in a highly readable, engaging and honest way. Read full review... - Stephen Loosley, Spectator Australia Magazine, 29 March 2014 The Whitlam Legacy appraises the government's manifest failures as well as its successes. It is an illuminating retrospective for those unfamiliar with this unique era, and for those who are familiar there are intriguing little-known vignettes - MPs having a punch-up near King's Hall, Gerard Henderson doubting Billy McMahon's sanity, Arthur Calwell providing information to McMahon to undermine Whitlam's leadership, Rupert Murdoch and Malcolm Fraser sharing the same nanny as youngsters, Paul Keating insisting that Kerr should have been arrested, and remarkable revelations of the extent of the public service chiefs' resistance to Labor policies. Read full review... - Ross McMullin, Australian Book Review, March 2014 This book will be most appreciated by those unfamiliar with the Whitlam years or those who have an interest in revisiting that time. It is a volume which is fairly comprehensive in its coverage of its topic and does offer some fresh perspectives. Read full review... - MR Tyson, Bar News, Autumn 2014 Bramston is an articulate champion of the policies of modern social democracy that Whitlam epitomised in the 1960s and 70s. Yet he and the pick of the other contributors are at their best when narrating the force of circumstances that brought the Whitlam government to its knees. ... a book of stimulating essays on a topic that will reverberate down the years ... Read full review... - Frank Carrigan, Weekend Australian, 25-26 Jan 2014 This book really is a great work of scholarship. It is a primer for anyone interested in politics or interested in carving out a career in politics. To get these people to write about the Whitlam government is a real tribute to Troy Bramston. From now on, nobody will be able to write about the Whitlam government without consulting The Whitlam Legacy. - Bob Carr

This book really is a great work of scholarship. It is a primer for anyone interested in politics or interested in carving out a career in politics. To get these people to write about the Whitlam government is a real tribute to Troy Bramston. From now on, nobody will be able to write about the Whitlam government without consulting The Whitlam Legacy. Bob Carr

Author Information

Troy Bramston is a columnist with The Australian newspaper and a contributor to Sky News. He has worked as a policy and political adviser in government, opposition and the private sector. He is a former principal speechwriter for Kevin Rudd and an adviser to the Rudd government. Troy is the author of Looking for the Light on the Hill: Modern Labor's Challenges (Scribe, 2011). Widely praised, The Courier-Mail said, ‘Troy Bramston’s book is a stand-out. His elegant prose and bold criticisms make it hard to put down’. He is co-editor of The Hawke Government: A Critical Retrospective (Pluto Press, 2003), editor of The Wran Era (The Federation Press, 2006) and editor of For the True Believers: Great Labor Speeches That Shaped History (The Federation Press, 2012) which was described by The Australian as ‘a compulsory reference for anyone interested in Australian politics’. Troy lives in Sydney with his partner, Nicky, and two children, Madison and Angus. He is currently writing a book about Paul Keating.

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