Happy Birthday, Gough Whitlam!
Gough Whitlam is 98 years old today.
He made mistakes, and his government, in the end, was shambolic. But how wonderful it would be to have another leader with his breadth of vision, his intellect, and his courage today. For a little while, we who were young found a politician who made politics exciting and something to believe in.
Some of his government's initiatives:
Ended conscription and withdrew Australian troops from Vietnam
Implemented equal pay for women
Established the universal system of health insurance known as Medibank
Established a separate ministry responsible for aboriginal affairs and supported the idea of land rights
Launched an inquiry into education and funded government and non-government schools on a needs basic
Recast foreign policy by withdrawing support for South Africa, recognising China, granting independence to Papua-New Guinea and distancing Australia from US foreign policy
Abolished fees for tertiary education and established the Tertiary Education Assistance Scheme
Increased pensions
Established controls on foreign ownership of Australian resources
Passed the Family Law Act, establishing no-fault divorce
Passed a series of laws banning racial and sexual discrimination
Extended maternity leave and benefits for single mothers
Happy Birthday, Gough!
= new reply since forum marked as read
