Two In The Think Tank - 513 - The Dismissal, Australia's 1975 Constitutional Crisis

Episode Date: August 20, 2025

In 1975, for the first and only time in Australia's history, a Prime Minister was sacked. Gough Whitlam was dismissed after months of political manoeuvring and backstabbing, culminating in what is still the most controversial event in the country's political history. On this episode we look at the three men at the centre of the dismissal, Whitlam, as well as the man who fired him; John Kerr, and the man who replaced him; Malcolm Fraser.This is a comedy/history podcast, the report begins at approximately 10:07 (though as always, we go off on tangents throughout the report).For all our important links: https://linktr.ee/dogoonpod Check out our other podcasts:Book Cheat: https://play.acast.com/s/book-cheatPrime Mates: https://play.acast.com/s/prime-mates/Listen Now: https://play.acast.com/s/listen-now/Who Knew It with Matt Stewart: https://play.acast.com/s/who-knew-it-with-matt-stewart/Our awesome theme song by Evan Munro-Smith and logo by Peader ThomasDo Go On acknowledges the traditional owners of the land we record on, the Wurundjeri people, in the Kulin nation. We pay our respects to elders, past and present. REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:Gough: Nothing Will Save Speech:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOJNaqjUra4 https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/the-eleventh https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/whitlam-gough-18730https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Australian_constitutional_crisishttps://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/whitlam-dismissal https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/oct/21/gough-whitlam-in-his-own-words https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/parliament-and-its-people/people-in-parliament/governor-general https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/kerr-sir-john-robert-23431 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Big announcements, specials online available and tours to announce. Dave, what are some of these details? We are touring around Australia and New Zealand for the first ever time to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We're 10, baby. We're 10. And we are hitting up these places between now and the start of 2026. We are hitting up Hobart, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Auckland, Wellington and Brisbane, all with live Do Go On shows on sale now at Do Go On Pod.com. So pumped.

Some of these cities we're getting to the first time ever, including Canberra and Hobart and Wellington and Auckland. And we haven't been to Perth and Adelaide in quite some time. So I really pumped for that. I'm also doing a Who Newark, Tour before that. It was starting as of now going to Brisbane, Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide and Hobart, then over to the UK to Edinburgh, Cambridge, Birmingham, Manchester, Swansea and London. And also, Dave, you and I, we've got our specials out available now on Humdinger. That's right. If you're not able to see us in the flesh, you can watch us online for free at any time at YouTube.com slash humdinger Studios, I believe it's the address. But just type in Humdinger Studios or my name or Matt Stewart's name and our specials, our stand-up specials are there right now.

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Hello and welcome to another episode of Do Go On. My name is Dave Warnocky, And as always, I'm here with Jess Perkins and Matt Stewart. Hello. Hello. So good to be here. Thank you so much for having me. You're welcome.

Yeah, ask me anything. What'd you have for breakfast? I had a chili scramble roll. Really? With avocado. I think you're finishing it off when I walked in. And a coffee. Well, why'd you ask then?

What a wasted question? I didn't know what it was. You know you only had one question. You wasted it. Jess, what's your one question? What's your pin? My pin. Well, that could mean so many different things.

The one that I saw most recently was me with a San Quilda hat on. I didn't want to say PIN number because I knew what Dave would say, which is what Dave? Oh, I wouldn't say it. Yes, you would. I'm not that tedious. You'd think it. I'd think it, but I wouldn't say it. Oh, the N is actually for number, so you're actually saying personal notification number number, number.

He would have got you too. Yeah, so that's why I was trying to not get got, and then you got me a number. different way. I was trying to get, I was trying not get got from the back, you got me from the front. We've both fucked out questions. Oh my God, you guys fucked it. You're doing the Patreon section, aren't you? No, no, I've done that. It's all good to go. Ready to go. Good to go. Well, Matt, why you're on? I just zoned out while you two were fighting again. Well, can he zone in and tell us what the show is about. Sure can. So, the white works is one of the three of us get a topic, usually suggested by a listener, often voted on by the patrons, and then we go

way, we read up on it. We maybe watch a few documentaries. We do, you know, pretty good research. I'm talking about university level. We're talking about year nine, year 10 level. And we bring it back to the class to an oral presentation. We're like promising year nine students. Yes. The teachers are going, that was pretty good. Yeah. They might have something here. And the other two, the two that aren't giving the report, they, you know, chip in. They're sort of the smart Alex at the back of the class being, you know, pretty annoying. Leaning back on their chairs. Yeah.

Chelling gum. Stuff you miss. Yeah. Sir. Yeah. Hey, sir. Hey, sir. Hey, sir, what do you think of this?

Whoa. Flip, you flipped your teachers off? Well, no, that's the role we're playing. Oh. I was sitting at the front of the room going, sir, sir, look at this. Yeah. You're doing a great job. I thumb them.

You thumbed them. Thumbed them. Yeah. Yeah. And it's Dave's turn. Dave's turn. We can always start with a question to get on. on a topic, Dave. Do you have one of these? Do you have a question? This does feel like a high school

topic this week. It would be good. Like a teacher would be like, you've got to know about this guys. And at the time you'd be like, I don't care. But it's actually quite interesting. So my question is, who was elected Prime Minister of Australia in December 1972? Whitlam. It is Goff Whitlam. Because today we were talking about the rise and dramatic fall of Goff Whitlam in the 1975 constitutional crisis, a period of history known simply as the dismissal. Oh. Yeah. Is that what you're going to call this episode?

Because there'll be people going, oh, is it going to be warny when he took with the ball of the century? The Gatting Ball? The Gatting Ball. Is that what, is this episode all going to be about the Gatting Ball? No. We've already done that. We've already talked about Gatting.

He couldn't believe what had happened. He had no idea. The ball started there and then hit the stuff. That's not possible. Did it go through me? What happened? No, not that one. The second most famous dismissal.

So, yeah, Gough was playing cricket. Does this ring a bell at all? Oh, yeah. How dare you? I know stuff. I'm talking about the Gatting Ball. Oh, the Gatting Ball, absolutely not. I know that Gough Whitlam was Prime Minister.

I know he did a lot of things that people think quite positively of. That's true. You'll talk about a bunch of those. And I know that, yeah, he was dismissed or he, you, was kicked out, and I don't fully know why. I think that's why people, a lot of the comments, this is voted for by our Patreon supporters at patreon.com slash do you go on pod. And I always asked, let me know what you voted for and why and a bunch of the people.

I'm assuming a lot of them Australian were like, this is something I feel I should know more about. I've heard of it, but I didn't know the circumstances. And I was pretty much in that camp. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Also, is his name actually Goff? Oh, we're going to talk about that. We're going to talk about that.

That's a no. That's a no. It's short for something. It'd be so fun if we get to it. He goes, and his real name's Goff. Yeah, I go, huh. I told you, we were talking about it. We talk about it.

We talk about it. Do not interrupt me. It's not that exciting, but. I just can't think of what goff is short for or what it's, where it comes from. Goffer. Coffer Whitlam. Why, are you going to, you really saving this for a big reveal? You could just tell an act.

No, I just start, no, just start you fucking little reply. I bet he talks for 45 minutes first about something. something else and then he finally gets to Goff Whitlam. He's going to take it all the way back to your great-great-uncle. Who was, oh yeah, he was pre-Goff-Wittlam, that's true. Let's talk about that quickly. For people who don't know, Jess is related to political royalty in this country. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Powerhouse. One of our most famous prime ministers, and his name is James Scullin. Well done, yes. I was actually expecting you to not remember at all. No, I don't remember. He's the second most famous Scullan Prime Minister, So the other of course being Bob Haw. That's good.

That's good stuff. That's good stuff. That coffee, that was worth it. Yeah. I had a couple weeks off coffee. Did you? Yeah. Oh, get back on that train, baby.

I'm back. So that should hit me harder today. Oh, yeah. That'll be fun. Yeah, James Scullin is my great, great uncle. Couldn't even, I wouldn't have been able to tell you what parties, do you know what party he was even from? Labor.

He's a Labor. There you go. Both labors. He was brought in, he was elected, and then like two days later, the Great Depression hit. Was he blamed? Quite a difficult time. Do we all blame your family? And also, I think there's some sort of link with him and the ABC, where I worked for many years.

Really? He tried to shut it down. And I also currently live quite close to his home. Really? Yeah, I didn't know that. I was on a walk recently. I was telling my mum what street I was on. And she was like, oh, number two is Scullin's place.

I was like, I was walking past it. I was like, that house right there? Was there a plaque? I love a little blue plaque. No. It's just a little family home. now. Could someone

Plark it up, please? Pluck it up. There you go. Good one, Plarkie. That's like a, that's a reference to the Clark Rubber ad. Yes. From back in the day. Nice one, Plarkie.

But in this case, instead of Clark, Clarkie, the platypus, mascot of Clark rubber. This is Plarky, the Plarky, the Plark mascot of Plarks. And this is the kind of rebellious chatter from up the back of the year. Yeah, this is the fun stuff. Come on, Plarky. And by what I mean. But that is.

I want to jump ahead. I'm so sorry. I want to just clarify that I'm not someone who, I don't make my great, great uncle being Prime Minister a part of my personality. No, I brought it up. Yeah, great. Yeah, yeah.

You're not like on Ancestry.com being like, look how impressive my family was. You know how people get frustrated that, like, fifth generation Americans are like, I'm Irish or I'm Italian, and they're like, history, but then you're not. I'm not saying I'm a politician. okay i'm not saying that oh this that's real slippery politician type stuff yeah yeah yeah yeah i'm not a politician i'm just concerned citizen i come from political heritage sure

yeah this is this is the kind of intro that is definitely gonna win over new absolutely yes okay last week i did it Dave alerted me to the fact that there's a bunch of new one-star reviews on apple after we hit 500 episodes yeah we got featured on a couple of things and uh so people gave us a go and thank you And they were not fans. Yeah, a lot of people being like, get to the effing point. Yeah, yeah. And we're sorry, but we make no apologies for that.

Can I just say in the show notes, there's always a little number. Yeah. You can click that. It says the time code is what I'm saying when I say a little number, time code for, when we usually start the actual topic. Yeah, and then skip ahead. And then we'll fucking go off on tangents a bunch as well. If you're here for just cold, hard facts and history, we're not your podcast.

Get back to gopher. Okay. Okay. This topic, I should say, it's been suggesting. by a few people, thank you, and this is over many years, thank you to Kelly Clark from Perth, Sam Marklin from Melbourne, Reese Elbrest from Gungarland and Canberra, Emma Greenwood from Melbourne, and Moles, also from Canberra. Mals. Mals. Muls. Muls. That's what you do to one before you're skull in it. James Scullin. Before you James Scull on it. Wow.

We really should, that should be a thing. Yeah. Look at him. He's really jimmying it over there. He's Prime Minister James Scullin, that one. Should we, I think we should get, we should get a beer, like, we'll get a beer bong. Yes. Right, and we'll get a label made. Yes. We'll have it elected as Prime Minister James Skelon. Yes.

That's just an idea. Perfection. And we'll start our next live show, Jess, with you Skelon, your great uncle, Skelon. Yeah. Now, in case you're from overseas or you need a little reminder about how Australian politics works, I'll give a little summary up top. See, I told you. He'll talk for 45 minutes.

It's not 45. A little summary. Maybe 10 minutes. But if that sounds boring, please stick with me because once we get through the set-up, we have a story of backstabbing, political gambling and the most controversial political event in Australia's history. Wow. And we've already talked about a prime minister who just drowned.

Yeah, just disappeared. That's true. This is more controversial. More controversial than that. Yeah, that's nothing compared to this. So Australia was federated as a nation on January 1, 1901. on the six British colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia,

Tasmania and South Australia, which also governed what is now the Northern Territory, united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. South Australia just had the whole middle section. That's a big... Why do they say South Australia? Yeah, part of it's really not South. It's the opposite.

Middle Australia. Yeah. He's a bang in the middle, you're right? Central Australia. Come on. What are they thinking? What are they thinking? Gosh.

So Australia was, and still is, at the time of recording, A constitutional monarchy where federal, i.e. national elections are held approximately every three years to select members of parliament who will represent Australians and make laws on their behalf. The leader of the party that wins the majority in the lower house called the House of Representatives becomes the leader of the country, that is, the prime minister. This isn't losing anyone. This is good. I expect it to be dry stuff. This is good stuff.

I've got a bono. I've fucking zoned out. I told you this is a real high school stuff. Sir, Sir, Sir, Sir, Sir, I've got a boner. Sir, what do I do? Sir, there's something happening to my Willie. Sir, my desk is rising up. The things you're talking about are too hot.

Stuart, my office. Wait, but you're here. Fine, come up here. This is my office. Well, because I've got a bonus, sir. Ah, sir, sir, like boners. Oh, no. Oh, no.

Not again. Not again. Okay. I have to change. again. Okay, Mr. Waterkey, keep it, keep it calm. He's trapped you again. Okay, so Dave, I want to get away from this. I want to get away from this bit. So, Dave's explained how Prime Ministers work. Back to the dry bit. But that, because people overseas would have no freaking idea. No, of course not. In a constitutional monarchy, a king or queen is the head

of state, but they've got limited power. They must follow the country's constitution and follow accepted practices known as conventions. Because Australia is still part of the Commonwealth, our monarch is the king or queen of the United Kingdom, which right now is King Charles III. Now, the Governor General of Australia is appointed to act on behalf of the monarch, and we will talk about that role in detail as it's super important to the story. Now, for much of Australia's relatively short history as a federation, politics has been dominated by two major political parties. There's the Australian Labour Party, home of Jess's great-uncle.

That's right. They've historically been considered centre-left, and they're currently in government. And then there's the Liberal Party of Australia who, confusingly, this is I need to explain this, especially to overseas people, despite being called the Liberal Party, are in fact the right wing party, historically being centre-right. Yes. So that's why in Australia we say if you're a liberal and people say small L, meaning liberal in the sense of the definition of the word, not liberal party. So they're sort of often at odds. Yeah. Yes.

But they, yeah, they're a confusing party. Yeah. They've drifted pretty right lately, but I think they maybe were more socially liberal, were they back in the day? I don't know. I mean, I'm barely politically engaged now, let alone before I was alive. It's possible that, because you hear the old Liberal Party leaders come out now and they sound way more central or center, well, to the left of the current leadership of Liberal Party. Yeah. Or the recent ones, anyway.

What was Howard? Liberal. Yeah, he was, he's pretty conservative. Yeah. Yeah. He, uh, some people love him. Well, his second longest ever serving prime minister in Australia. Yeah.

But he did blame refugees for a lot of stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I love doing that. Punching up, as they say. Yeah, it's good. Yeah, yeah. So historically, they're being considered center, right? Now, I want to note they often govern in coalition with smaller parties,

but for the purposes of avoiding confusion, I'll just refer to them as the Liberal Party or just the Liberals. Often there was the country party and now the nationals. But anyway, the Liberal Party was founded in 1944 by Robert Menzies, who had earlier been Prime Minister...

The longer serving. That's right, because he'd already been Prime Minister for a couple of years for another party, but with his newly formed party, he went on to be our longer serving... Can you imagine that happening? 16 years.

Wow. Can you imagine that happening now that someone forming a new party forms government, it would be sort of, I mean, it seems like it'd be a good idea, but it does Yeah, geez, it wouldn't be a, I'm not saying it would be a bad thing. Yeah, maybe we're going to have a little fresher. Yeah, I'm saying it's probably unlikely, but God, it would. The whole two-party system, you know.

Yeah, I wouldn't complain. Let's do it. Let's step up. But part of that, Dave, is because the Labor Party had a split around that time, and it just left a bit of a vacuum for, for, for, uh, Menzies to just be able to semi unopposed because his opposition was split in two. Right. And he just kept going time after time.

So 16 years. My dad talks about like he, as a kid, he just like that that was the only government for most of his, you know, from his childhood into his 20s. It was like. Oh, it's such a long time because he was talking about John Howard being sick. Like growing up, that was the prime minister. That was, yeah, exactly. That was who it was in the 90s.

How long was he prime minister for? Uh, 12 or 13 years. It was from like, he was. He was out in 07 and he came in in 96. Yeah, and we're very young. So he was the Prime Minister our whole lives. Yes. You'd obviously lived many lives before that.

Yes, I vaguely remember Hawke and Keating. But yeah. Because that was obviously when I was only, that was... You're in your 40s. Yeah. Four 40s. The memory stuff to go. That's right.

In the 440s. In the 440s. I think we might have missed us. there. So, so, yeah, Robert Burns is in charge for 16 years and, in fact, the Liberals were in power for 23 straight years. Wow. Until 1972, when a six foot five man stepped forth and said, it's time.

That man was Goff Whitlam, a man who would shake up Australian politics and find himself at the centre of the most controversial event in our political history. Wow. So let's talk about the man, Edward Goff Whitlam. Okay, it's a middle name. It's a middle name. Okay. But there's a bit more info.

That is the full name, though. Yes. Just goff. So he was born in Q in Melbourne on the 11th of July, 1916. You've heard of Q? Uh, yeah. It's pretty rare. Nearly all the prime ministers are from Sydney, right?

It's pretty common for them to be. A lot. And he also moved from Melbourne at like the age of two. Yeah, there you go. Yeah, there's some percentage of like, like, most of parliament went to one school or something. Like, it's insane. The old boys. Yeah.

I all went to Eden. Yeah. So he was referred to as Goff his whole life to avoid confusion with his maternal grandfather, also named Edward. And he got the name Goff from his paternal grandfather, Henry Hugh Goff Whitlam, whose father had served under field marshal, Viscount Hugh Goff in India. So his middle name is named after someone else's surname, which is why it's such an uncommon. and first name. Right. That's fun.

So he was simply goff, his whole life. At least it's different. At least it's not James, you know? Yeah. Boring. I've got a cousin of mine's middle name is Masherini. Yeah, that's good. Our Nana's her name.

That's such a great name. One of my friends, she and her sister, their middle name is their mum's maiden name. I'm like, oh, that's so good. That is a great name. Because nobody's ever going to guess that, are they? No. You could win so much money hustling people at pubs being like, guess my middle name. It could be the new rumple stilts.

Because me, you go, Anne or Louise, for anybody my age, you're going to eliminate most people. You're right. You're not making shit at the pub. I'm not making shit. Neither are we with James of our names. Kiaf is doing well. Do you think, you know how it's all New South Welshmen end up being prominent? It's the same in the cricket, isn't it?

They're all, like, they used to joke that when you got your New South Wales cap, you also got a baggy green under the table. Do you think that's just the better state? Yeah, it's a bigger state, more population. So best? Well, no, I think odds are. So number one? Yes. No, I'm not denying that.

This isn't a gotcha moment. I think I've said that on the record. Dave, fucking got him. Absolutely. Got him in absolute beauty. Look at him sweating over there. Got him in absolute beauty. Like I say my favourite city is Brisbane, but I think, you know, probably the best city is Sydney.

Well, Perth is just turned off. I think Perth is lovely as well. I love Adelaide. No, Adelaide were like, yeah, fair. No, Adelaide's beautiful. It is beautiful. Love Hobart, love all the capital cities. Darwin.

How do you think about this city? Melbourne's great. I mean, I choose to live here. Say no more. So, but if you just love everyone equally. Yeah. It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean shit.

I don't believe you. But I do love all these places. Canberra? We're coming there for the first time. Canberra, I enjoy Canberra. You enjoy. Cambra, I doesn't like Canberra. No, I actually really like Canberra.

All right, name you, the worst capital city. What is it? Come on. Worst capital city in Australia. Yeah. I mean, I have an answer. See? He's a coward.

It's probably Perth, but I still like Perth. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think there's, but there are parts of it that I don't like. But I think generally I still really like it. I did nearly get glassed there. Okay. That will change your view of a lot of places. Yeah.

But I actually, I was there with Dugo and listeners at the time, and they were mortified. So I'm sort of riling them up, if anything. Okay. Perth's fantastic. It's beautiful. Love your work. Can you go to the beach? No one will be there, and it's like one of the most beautiful places you've ever been.

We knew at editor Connors from there, you know? Yeah. How can such a beautiful boy be created by anything less than a beautiful city? Can't. We'll love you, Perth. And we'll see you soon. This is the kind of stuff that they're saying at the back of the classroom. Yeah.

I love Perth. I couldn't possibly choose a favourite capital city. Not the least favourite. Oh no, Hobart, it's actually nice. The weather, you know, it's actually quite nice. Get there on a sunny day, it's beautiful. So anyway, so Goff Whitlam, he's known as Goff. His father, Harry, was a Commonwealth public, worked for the Commonwealth Public Service in Melbourne,

rose to become the Commonwealth Crown Solicitor. And his father's involvement in human rights issues was a powerful influence on the young man. His mother, known as Matty, was according to the Australian Dictionary of, biography that has a huge article on Goff that I refer to a fair bit. She was a gentle feminist, clever, witty and unusually tall, a trait inherited by her son. The ADB adds, as she was five foot four. My ears are burning at the moment. A gentle feminist. Clever, witty, unusually tall? Yeah. Guilty as charged. The ADB adds, as she was also deaf, the family's speech was enunciated for her to lip read, contributing to the distinctive cadence of Goff's voice.

Ah, that's interesting. Yeah. So the family moved to Sydney, like I said, and then Canberra. Goff is so far the only Prime Minister to grow up in the nation's capital. Oh, really? Oh, they're mostly, they're Sydney boys, mostly. Yeah. Be part of that.

Sorry, what kind of era is this? So he's born in 1916, so he's at school in the 1930s. Yeah, okay, yeah. and he spent his final years at Canberra grammar school, again from the ADB. Quote, he completed his leaving certificate three times between 1932 and 1934 as he was considered too young to go to university. So he just did, you just like three times in a row. Why?

Well, nowhere else to go. But he completed it. Yeah. Yeah, that would be frustrating. But what do you mean you're too young to go to university? What are you supposed to do in those years in between? I know, like my grandfather said that he finished school at 16 or something and then went to Melbourne uni.

He was too young to study medicine, so he did dentistry. Oh, wow. They let kids do that. That's so weird. Yeah. And the plan was to transfer to medicine to his later, but he liked it, so he just became a dental specialist. But it's just so funny that, yeah, it's like too young to be a doctor.

But you could do this. Yeah, yeah. But then apparently they're not taking goff at all in the 1930s. I suppose back then, like, how long were those courses going for? Because, sure, but I could start studying now. And by the time I'm finished, I'm sure I'm old enough to be a doctor. Yeah, that's right. But anyway, he does a three-month course back then.

Make more sense for you to spend more time doing that rather than doing the thing, finishing school. What's it called? Three times. Finishing school. What does that mean? Finishing school is where you go to learn how to behave. Yes, that's right. Balance of broccoli.

I've been looking around for you, mate. Yes. I'm going to enroll. She's just like finishing school. Put her back in. She's not done yet. Is that something? Yeah. That's the Simpsons. Simpsons. Rodney Dangerfield. Rodney, the king. So he did year 12 three times. Not surprisingly, he was Ducks of the school. Three times? I imagine that. The last one anyway. The third one, he was goose. Like the game. Yeah. Wow. There was a, he's on the level. I know. There was a two-go on listener who messaged in recently saying, I must have mentioned that before. or something, they were saying that in their area, they call it duck, duck, grey duck.

You're kidding me. Practically, have a go. Duck. Yeah. Dark. Dark. Dark. Gray goose.

Oh, no. You've done it wrong. You've done it wrong. Gray duck. Gray duck. Gray duck. Gray duck? What if you do, you could just whisper the gray and just say duck again and start running?

But it's like what color of the other ducks? Yeah. Why? What the fuck? White duck. Yellow duck. White duck. Blue duck.

Blue duck. Gray duck. Yeah. Green duck. Aqued duck. Aqued duck. That's silly. The game is duck, duck, goose.

Everybody knows. Everyone knows that. I like duck duck. Great duck. That's funny. So you got a scholarship to study at the University of Sydney where he graduated in arts and law. Also at university, he met his future wife. Margaret Dovey. She was popular, outgoing, tall and athletic. She was six foot two and was an

accomplished swimmer. She represented Australia in the 220-yard breaststroke in the 1938 Empire Games, which became the Commonwealth Games. Yeah. When you're that tall, swimming's easy. You just sort of, you dive and you touch the other and Australia. You know, when you were a kid, you're in the bath and you would, did you ever do this? You'd like lie on your stomach and put your hands out and just kind of kick and push yourself back and small. She's just doing that. Lap, lap, lap, lap. She's actually very unfit, but she doesn't need to do much.

It's amazing. Her wiki page writes that seeing the six foot five goff, he was, quote, quite the most delicious thing I'd ever seen. Quite the most, what an awkwardly put together sentence. Poor knee. So they're married in 1942, which was, of course, wartime, and the same year he entered the Royal Australian Air Force, mainly based in the Northern Territory,

flying Lockheed Ventura Bombers. He reached the rank of flight lieutenant and aircraft engine noise left him with permanent hearing damage. Oh, I didn't know he was in the Air Force. That's cool. Yeah. Again from the ADB, when stationed at Cooktown, Queensland and at the Gulf Peninsula and at the Gulf Peninsula Northern Territory,

Whitlam saw and was shocked by the conditions of indigenous peoples. At Yucala in June 144, he met members of the Unopingu family who were instrumental in forming his lifelong commitment to Indigenous rights. Gough admired Australian's wartime Prime Minister John Curtin, who was leader of the Labour Party and campaigned for the 1944 referendum that proposed to give the Australian government extra wartime powers for a period of five years even when the war finished,

with Prime Minister John Curtin saying that maintaining wartime controls was necessary for Australia to readjust to peacetime conditions. Like most referendums, it lost, but was pivotal for the young Gough Whitlam, who from then on was to determined to do all he could to modernise the Australian Constitution. Still in uniform, whilst on leave from the Air Force in Sydney, he joined the Australian Labour Party. After the war, he worked as a lawyer, and I love this. This is again from the ADB, with his war service loan, Whitlam built a house in seaside Cronulla. He also bought the block of land next door using the prize money, which was £1,000. He received for winning the Australian National Quiz Championship in 1948 and 1949.

He was runner-up in 1950, and these were broadcast nationally on ABC Radio. So you just use game show prize money to buy the blocker land next door. You can't do that anymore. Game show prize money won't buy our house these days. Nah. It's not even a deposit. Even who wants to be a millionaire. Yeah.

You win the full million. Okay. Probably ought to keep working. It'll help you get in the door. Smaller mortgage. That's good. Have you thought about a car? Yeah.

Have you thought about two kind of shit cars? You mentioned John Curtin. I reckon he might have been a Victorian because there's a pub named after him in Carlton. It's also the John Curtin University. Yeah. Is that in Melbourne? It's in Carlton. Yep, there you go.

Well, I reckon he was probably from around that area. Let's see where he was born. Born in Creswick or Creswick, I don't know, colony of Victoria. Huh. Yeah, that's going away back when the colony of Victoria. Colony. Yeah, that's old. he was.

This guy's old. Where is John Curtin University? I think it's W.A. Yeah. Well, Jess, you lied to me and I believed it. I was joking. Yeah, yeah. But you've really got to sell it with a bit of tone.

That kind of dry humor doesn't wash. You can't wash with dry. Yeah, if you've got a dry sense of humor, people tend to think you're just a fucking moron. And like, you say stuff that's actually quite funny. And if it was said with a bit more pizzazz, people would be like, that's the funniest guy in the world. But because you say it so dry, hypothetically, the Royal U, people just go, what a dumb cut.

Yeah. You know what I mean? It's crazy. I don't relate to it. But you obviously do. Oh, I was saying the Royal U. I was, you know. Yeah, yeah.

The Royal U, as in you. Me. So he's winning the quiz championship, and that's like on national radio. So it's sort of giving him a bit of a rep as a smart guy. I mean, I was on national radio for six years, and I did not get a rep as a smart guy. I just want to say in the ABC. Didn't you ever get, like, texts on the text line saying, Jesus, you sound so smart.

We love you, you're great. No, none of that. Got a lot of get this broad off here and stuff like that. I love it, yeah, people, like old people listening to the youth station, just telling on themselves, we're using terms like broad. Get this, go, out of the air. His earliest efforts to enter politics were local, unsuccessfully standing for the Sutherland Shire Council in 1948, and in 1950 for the Legislative Assembly seat of Sutherland. But in 1952, he was elected to the House of Representatives.

So he didn't do well. Locally, he's like, I'll just go for the national stuff. Yeah, some people have just played better at a higher level. Yeah, I'll go one above. I'll go to their boss. Yeah. It was a by-election in the federal seat of Werryer after the local member of. Burt Lazzarini died.

Sucked in, Bert. What a way to find out. Poor Bert. Oh, Bert. Oh, Bert. He's gone. Got another great name. Bert Lacerini.

Oh, hello. Was that the name? Yeah. Matt Masherini? Bert Lazzarini? Yeah. We're basically akin. Yeah, same thing.

Both have us. 116th, Swiss Italian. During his maiden speech to parliament, which are usually heard in silence, like you usually step up and everyone listens is your time to talk. Goff put the chamber on notice when, as he started, speaking future Prime Minister John McEwen interrupted him. And Goff coolly shot back. He said, I recollect that Benjamin Disraeli, who was the Prime Minister of the UK, said on the occasion of his maiden speech, that time will come when you shall hear me.

Perhaps I should say, the time will come when you may interrupt me. And everyone was like, Jesus, who's this young up? Again from the ADB, Whitlam's parliamentary reposts were quick, effective and at times cruel for their closeness. to truth. He once reduced Garfield Barwick, or Garfield Barrick, to tears in the searing attack on the government's crimes bill during which he called the diminutive attorney general a quote, truculent runt. Truculent runt. But imagine being the attorney general.

And crying, because someone called you a truculent runt. Sounds like rhyming slang. That's, yeah, it's really, it's hard to say I don't understand what truculent means. I love it. New group chat? Yeah, who wants truculent runt? Well, I think it's going to be Dave. Agreed.

Runt's doing the heavy lifting there. Yeah, really give me pause to cry. I'm really getting pause to cry. Cucculent. Because I'm currently snappy little fecker, and I think that's actually, that's probably the best I'll ever get. What am I? Gleb.

Gleb. I don't even remember what that mean. Me, though. I think it was one of, um, uh, uh, I think it was one of, um, uh, uh, uh, uh, the ogre of Kiev's... Oh, yes. It was a Gleb. Gleb.

Gleb. Okay, I love it. I'm back to loving it. So that's Garfield Barwick, who was the attorney general. He called a truculent runt. Well, let me say that Garfield Barwick will briefly come back in this story. Oh, the truculent runt returns. It does feel that, you know, you don't want to make an enemy.

He's going to, like, be plotting his revenge nonstop. Yeah, that's right. And he might get the revenge. Goff had some very memorable quotes over the years. Later in 1972 on the campaign trail, Whitlam was once persistently heckled by a man demanding to know his opinion on abortion. And he finally shot back,

let me make it quite clear that I am for abortion, and in your case, sir, we should make it retrospective. Oh, that's so good. That's so good. So I'm trying to be elected as Prime Minister being that brutal. So that's what I like about. You should be dead. Yeah.

I don't necessarily think it's like the funniest thing. But I, but the context of who we're saying that. And you're on a campaign trail. So you're trying to like really appeal to everyone. You know the microphones are there. You know the cameras are there. You're like, yes, I'm pro abortion. And fuck you.

And you should be dead. That's so funny. That's so funny. Yes. Yeah. I think. And it's going to, that would probably have put off a lot of people. Yes.

But it would have won over some as well. Yeah, like this guy. Yeah. But yeah, really, uh, he was obviously going for that governing for all kind of vibe. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So he's a young parliamentarian during these years, like I said, that was when Robert Menzies was prime minister. So he was in parliament opposite Menzies.

During those years, Goff Whitlam rose through the ranks to become deputy leader of the Labour Party, almost being expelled twice for going against his own party. Firstly, on spending more money on schools. He disagreed with the policies that. that they had, and next for withdrawing troops from Vietnam. Which side of those things was the on? He wanted more money for schools, and I believe, I actually thought he was going to be pro removing troops in Vietnam, but he was against the Labour Party at the time.

We should get all the troops out, but I think he was saying we should do it in stages. Right. Because it would be pretty crazy. We just pulled everyone out at the same time. Yeah. So he went against the party, which you are not supposed to do. No. And he did not, and I think actually twice. had votes whether to expel him from the party because he went fully against.

Yeah, especially if you're in the, in the, in the, like the shadow cabinet or whatever, right? Yeah. Or is it everyone? Would he normally just have to be out of the backbench? Is that the Liberal Party? So the way I think it usually works, maybe that's just Liberal Party, but they, yeah, if you're I think the Liberal Party, yeah, I think the Liberal Party is more open to having disagreements publicly if they're outside of the cabinet.

Yes, so that means if you're a minister. The caucus votes on things and then everyone holds the party line. Is that right? Yeah. This is going to be so annoying to Australian political nerds. But also like... Yeah, like me. Yeah, I'm understanding these words.

You got it in the DNA. Yeah. I think in a caucus, like in their own party room, you can obviously vote because you have a vote in the room. Yes. But I think publicly you can't go out and be like, my colleagues were stupid. Yeah, yeah. You're not supposed to... Particularly like you say, if you're in the cabinet, which means you're like,

if you're a minister or have a shadow minister portfolio. And often, if you want to agree with your party, you will leave your ministry. Yeah. Like you say, go to the back bench and have less power in the party. But you have more freedom to speak your mind. To heckle from the... Basically, do what you guys are doing. Yeah.

Sit up to the back, be the Year 9 heckler. Hey. Yeah. I mean, honestly, that sounds like the more fun job. Yeah. Goff also did not get on with the leader of the party at the time. This is the Labour Party. Arthur Colwell, who was pro-white Australia policy that Goff abhorred.

Oh, my God. When was this? This is pretty late in the piece, too. This is the 1960s. Oh, my God. This is a set of racial policies that aim to forbid people of non-European ethnic origins, particularly people from Asia and the Pacific Islands from immigrating to Australia. It's so recent.

I know. It's so embarrassing. And it's still so, it's in our DNA still. It hasn't been flushed out. Like, just you still feel it. Oh, right. Yep. Oh, it's so fucked.

Anyway, Gough was anti that But Arthur Corwell was in charge of the party He lost three elections in a row This is Arthur Corwell before finally stepping down And Gough Whitlam became leader of the Labour Party And the opposition leader in 1967 Goff and the Labour Party closed the voting gap Between him and his rivals

led by the Liberal Party leader John Gorton Who had taken over after Harold Holt disappeared We spoke about on a much earlier episode Gordon He's a funny-looking fella. He was not a very popular one, though, was he? Because of his face. Well, you've got a face like a drop pie or something.

Yeah. But not his value. Hey, I hear drop pie, I think. Okay. I don't think we can salvage this. Three second rule. Plenty of that. Is it on the floor?

Just scoop the bits off the top. That's all right. That's why it's got a lid. at the 1972 election it was Goff Whitlam versus William McMahon

leading the liberals the slogan It's Time Time for change was used as Goff Whitlam and the Labor Party put forward a raft

of major policy proposals accompanied by a television advertising campaign of prominent celebrity singing a pretty bad jingle Have you ever heard it? Time for bit bam

It's time It's time It's time It's like you know It's like a It's sort of In the sort of genre of the, you know, the songs for Africa. Yeah, it's a real live-a-type situation.

We're in the world kind of. And you can't, you'll never believe who we've got. You know, they've got Lana Ritchie and they've got Sting. Yeah. Who we've got Tony Barber. Oh. Barry Crocker. Whoa.

Graham Kennedy. Oh, boy. Yeah. Jack Thompson and Jackie Weaver. Whoa. Actually, amongst dozens of people who were very famous at the time, but I don't recognize them anymore. But they're the ones that it's...

The key, you got the king. King of Australian comedy Jackie Weaver still going strong Absolutely internationally killing it Jack Thompson An icon of Australian acting Barry Crocker Barry Crocker

The singer of the original Neighbours theme Maybe say more And Tony Barber Tony Barber Sale of the Century's first host in Australia Wow I could probably read out the list of the other people That I'm like, never heard of her

Yeah yeah Don't know him And I'd be like oh my God You don't remember Deborah Barba Tony's Mrs. Debra

Baba How does your brain work? You try to make up a name It's beautiful to watch your work. One of the surnames of the shortlist you already read. Patricia Crocker

Eloise Kennedy Tina Burton Leah Thompson Jack Weaver Leah Thompson's actually She was in back the future There you go

So, anyway, this use of well-known actors and the cultural identities at the campaign launch and in the song was not previously seen in Australian election campaigns. And it's still really, isn't like, I think it's still pretty common in America. Like, you're a Democrat or you're a Republican, a lot of the celebrities are and they're registered. Whereas here, it's not really talked about particularly. And you don't, I don't think, you could probably guess at what a lot of celebrities, how they might be politically, but I don't think they're usually out in the ads going, campaigning.

Exactly, giving up their time to be in a commercial. Yeah. I think there's plenty of people who have, at various times in their lives, voted for either party. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Probably more of our, well, I was going to say more of our parents' generation, but I'm sure there's people of our generation who have as well.

But people are less rusted on Democrat for Life, whatever. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Although there's probably still 70, 80%, it might be, but that's shrinking and it's like the major parties are having less and less primary vote each

election and the minor parties are growing from like you know, either side. Yeah. Yeah, it's interesting time. The campaign worked. Let me just say that. It's time.

Labor picked up eight seats and Goff Whitlam became the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. For the first time in 23 years, the Labour Party were back in power. All right. Apparently, it was, yeah, it was, you know, a very hopeful time. Yeah, right. I did when a big change happens that for people voting in their 20s, it just had never happened before that another party was in

and a party who's come in and said, we're going to change things up, like in a big way. Yeah. Well, they did not mock around, once again from the ADB, with the outcome in some seats still to be finalised, he formed, and what he called the interim diomverent, with which he and deputy leader Lance Barnard held all 27 ministries. Again from the ADOB, with the outcome in some seat still to be finalized,

he formed what was called an interim diomverent, in which he and deputy leader, Lance Barnard, held all 27 ministries, and in two weeks, the diomverent made 40 critical decisions. Whoa. That feels very like Roman empire. or something. Yeah.

Like they're still counting and he's like, okay, we're going to get rid of that bring that in, we're going to build a school here. We're going to do it like, oh,

we're not sure you won yet. Yeah, no, no, that's fine. Yeah, but Bill dole does that hospital. Oh, no,

Goff, people are in there. Is that the kind of thing you was doing, buildos in? People are in hospital. Could we just have, you know, renovated slowly

so those people still get better and treatment? Goff's like on the bulldoze. Let's do it. Right on it. He's just taking it. He's not like a lot of mess. We've about 23 years of this shit.

He's like, he's made these 40 decisions. He hasn't slept. He's just got a bulldozer. He's like, I'm on it. Don't worry about it. I've got a mandate. Oh, we're not fully sure about that yet, gov. I've got a mandate.

Down it goes. Didn't I say this in the campaign? I'm going to bulldoze stuff? It's not what I said to come around. You're driving a tank through the streets? I said a lot of stuff. I said a lot of stuff. It's tough.

Oh, Tony Barber, where are you? So this is some of the things that they did. Starting with the withdrawal of remaining Australian forces from Vietnam. Although, to be fair, the previous Prime Minister William McMahon had withdrawn the majority of the year before, but there was still a few interim troop stations. So everyone's out of Vietnam. Then they're released from prison young men refusing to serve in Vietnam, dropping all charges against over 300 others and ending conscription.

Wow. Because, yeah, at the time, like, you know, if you were deemed a quite draft dodger, you were being jailed. Fuck me. So let those people free. Other announcements followed in daily succession, changing Australia's votes at the United Nations to support self-determination for colonial nations and sanctions against apartheid and excluding from Australia racially selected international sporting teams. Recognising the People's Republic of China, but this ended formal ties with Taiwan. removing sales tax on contraceptives, reopening the equal pay case

which the McMahon government had opposed, establishing an Australian honour system as opposed to the British one that was used, inaugurating new grants for the arts. So I went from sirs and dames to AOs. Is that right? No, O.A.O.'s Adults only. There's a bit of that, too.

It was pro AO. Do you like that? Establishing an interim commission to determine schools funding, instituting nursing home benefits, signing the United Nations international covenants on civil and political rights and on economic, social and cultural rights, and instituting a judicial inquiry into Aboriginal land rights in the Northern Territory.

And that was all in 40 days. Wow. And then they did a lot more between 1972 and 1975. There's a few more of the big ones. Australia and New Zealand took France to the International Court of Justice in 1973 over nuclear testing in the Pacific, leading France to cease above ground testing. In regards to the last elements of the white Australia policy that I mentioned earlier,

the Whitland government removed the last racial elements of Australia's immigration laws. They abolished the death penalty for federal crimes. They established legal aid with offices in each state capital. Abolished university fees, making further education free, which it is not anymore. No, that's slowly been rolled back. Yep. Starting with Labor governments as well, I think. Damn.

Yes. They established the schools commission to allocate proper funding to schools. Goff himself having lived in the developing Cabramatta, most of which lacked sewage facilities. Jesus. He really, it just sounds like he snapped his fingers and brought Australia into the modern age. Yeah. So he, the Labor Party. It may be the positive take.

I imagine you're going to talk about, there's probably some downsides as well. But most of what you said is sounds pretty good. I think, you know, stopping relations with Taiwan doesn't sound ideal. So, okay, we're looking for cons. Somebody was like, oh, now that my child's schools got better funding, he's too smart. He's telling me, you know, it's better. He's outsmarting me. I don't like it.

There's probably people who were saying, but I just paid for my uni. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. But I'm like, to them, I'd say, yeah, when that is unfortunate, but it's just not like something wrong happened to me. It should happen to everyone now forever. Yeah, that's right. Which is, I think is, I think that's the right way to think.

I agree. So they, uh, I had it tough so everyone else must as well. Exactly. At least as tough as me. Can you believe how good it is for this generation? They should have it worse than my generation. Yeah. The Labor Party established the National Sewage Program, which set a goal to leave

no urban home unsewered. Oh, yeah. As God is my witness. That seems incredible. Incredible that was, what, 50 years ago. Yeah, that's right. This is the 70s. Female Commonwealth public servants were granted equal pay

and three months paid maternity leave. Hang on. What the fuck? What, for the same work, they used to see it paid less? Yeah, and that's like an open, I guess open policy. That is wild. Yeah. Again, only just over 50 years ago.

God Save the Queen was replaced as Australia's national anthem. Hooray! With Advanced Australia Fair. Boo. One dull song for another. Don't I'll cry. It's so beautiful. Sorry, I'm late, Mr. Prime Minister.

Yeah, that, oh yeah. It could have been something interesting. A competition actually had been held that had nearly 4,000 entries. Wow. Of the 2,500 lyric-based entries submitted, the judges selected just six as suitable, with each rider awarded $500. And all the 1,300 music-based entries were rejected outright.

Then they held an opinion poll with 60,000 people ask, which do you prefer of these three songs? None of them were from the competitions. They just ignored them. Their options were Advanced Australia Fair, Waltzing Matilda and Song of Australia. It could have been Waltzing Matilda. It's the better song, but yeah. Not for an anthem.

Does it have to be literal, you know? Does it have to be where the grey country, there's what? What a roll around earth. Stuff like that. Or could it be about a guy who is squatting on your land, stealing sheep. Yeah. And ends up dying in a billyball. Yeah, I don't think Walting Wittillo should be the anthem.

I think it should be the seekers. I agree. I am, you are, we are? Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I think you're talking about the... George girl. Hey there, blimpy boy.

No, my best of Australia, Fergus got over 50% of the boat. And I will say that it was back and forth. It went back to God's Day of the Queen. And then they actually had another proper vote. And events Australia Fair came back. So anyway. But anyway, at the time, I think it's just so funny. They were like, guys, submitted some entries.

You have 4,000. Well, these all suck. They suck. And I imagine some of them probably didn't suck. Yeah. Yeah. I reckon it should be go you good thing, uh, which was submitted to Roy and HG's the dream in 2000. Yeah.

Put a gap in them. Put a gap in them. Go you good thing go. Yeah. I think that would be a great. Let's get a vote going. Let's make some change. Let's make some change.

I'm voting yay. Okay. I'm voting for Bachelor girl. I got hit by your train and it's more than enough. And it's kind of the same. I think she went to the school. My sisters went to. Wow.

How about that? Wow. And you fucking throw affluent ace over at us, but your sisters are rubbing shoulders with. match a little girl? Yeah, that's right. Actually, I think that most prime ministers of Australia went to that school. Yeah.

So they also introduced the Western world's first no-fault divorce on the sole ground of 12-month separation. I guess before they had to prove that something was... Someone had been in fault. Yeah. So now you can just get divorced for fun. Yeah, we have to live separately for 12 months. Man, some crazy... That's not fun.

Crazy marriage-based laws that were... Yeah, still around not that long ago. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, you're married. Well, there's, it's kind of, you're kind of in international waters then. Yeah. You can really do some bad stuff.

Ooh. This is, well, the non-financial contribution of women to the family home was also recognized in custody and financial settlements, enabling them to leave a marriage without having to prove fault or risk losing custody of their own children. Wow. Crazy. In 1972, his policy speech, Whitel had committed his government to land rights for Indigenous peoples, and in August

1975, he travelled to Dagaragu, part of the land of the Guarangi people had sought to reclaim by walking off Wave Hill stationed a decade earlier, pouring sand from his hand into those of the Gorinji elder and leader of the walkoff, Vincent Lingari, mentioned the Paul Kellysong from Little Things, Big Things Grow. Whitland said, these lands belong to the Gorinchi people, and I put it into your hand, part of the earth itself has a sign that this land will be the possession of you and your children forever. The government had purchased 3,237 square kilometres of Wayfield Station land from Lord Vestey, so we're that's owned by Lord Vestey, which it passed on to the people as leasehold title.

So he's doing different stuff across the board, and then we get to a big one. Labor formed Medibank, a precursor to Medicare giving Australians universal health care, which before that, like a large percentage of Australians didn't have health insurance. Right. Just for the people yelling their iPods, Kev Carmody wrote from Little Things Big Things Grow. Dave's given it to Paul Kelly. Why are you whispering it down here?

So it's almost impossible to hear when someone's driving in a car listening to From Little Things, Big Things Grow. Yeah, written by Kev Carmody. Oh, I didn't actually know that. Vincent Lingari is... Uh, such a great name. And I'll, yeah, it's, it really is a, a lyric that stands out in that song so much, because it's just so pleasing to the ear. It's really nice.

I love that. Um, Ernie Dingo plays the Didgeridoo on that song. There's didry do at the end and it's Ernie Dingo. Holy shit. Let me be the first to say. I think that's a fun fact. Yeah. That's a fun fact.

I'll say that. Uh, and I think I have the right to say that. So defensive about it. I think I'm allowed to find that fun. People who haven't listened for a while will be like, why is he? Well, Jess sometimes claims that she's the only one who can call things fun facts. I never said that, how do you? So Goughfootland's first year as Prime Minister ended with a record 253 bills having been introduced and 203 acts passed.

And that's what he was in it for, the record. Yeah. He's on that bull. Smash. He's on the tank. Yeah. We're going to get it. So that's all pretty impressive.

Do you think they're, like, in the Olympic swimming, the line in front of him, you know? He's just like, uh, what about, uh, everyone should, uh, should get a Dalmatian. There's one. Uh, what else? Okay. Um, past. Yeah, but past, uh, Coca-Cola is pretty good. Put in, put in the law. Yeah, great. Uh, shit. Well, it was great. Great, yeah, great. Put that under constitution. Yeah. Something about custard. Uh, custod. Uh, Custard's banned.

Custard's banned. There's three in one day. Is that a record? And his party's like, cough, we've got the majority, but this is. He's a bit much. Yeah. His wife's in the swimming pool, you know, doing that line thing. Yeah. The line, but the line's never, because she's past the line. She's either side of the line.

The line can't keep up because she's going to tap with her hands, tap with a foot, tap with her hands, tap with a foot. The screen's just filling with line. It's like, is this a confusing bit? Is everyone picturing it like I am? She's doing that. line thing, I think was very clear in everybody. We all understood we all know the line thing from

the Olympic swimming. The line thing makes. Well, when it's malfunctioning. When she's doing it. We all know that. We all know that. She's being electric in it by the line in the pool. She invents time travel.

It's pretty impressive. Somehow. She created 74. All right. We'll edit all of that out. That I do think I lost it a bit. That is the coffee. I'm so sorry everybody.

The coffee wearing off or wearing on. It's kicking in. So they did a lot in a pretty short amount of time. Yeah. And like Matt was saying a lot of people still like, they did a lot of good stuff. Yeah. But that's, and it's all pretty impressive, a lot of change in a short amount of time. But it wasn't all good news for the Labour Party in government because all this stuff costs a lot of money.

Yes. Labor's policies had been based around hoping for the continuation of the post-war boom of low-inflation economic growth. They were like, the good times will roll forever. Yeah, we're spending a little bit of money now, but things are cheap. Yeah. And money's going to only grow, and it'll be fine. I'm cash and checks I can pay. Exactly.

It got bigger last year. It'll get bigger this year. That's how it works, babe. We'll never stop. Hey, Dave, Paul Kelly co-wrote that song with Kep Comedy. Yeah. So, sorry about that. I didn't know that.

And I went to make sure that I was right and Ernie Dingo does play on it. Oh, thank God, because I didn't know that either. For international listeners, my God, if you look up Ernie Dingo. Yeah, you, I mean, I'm sure they would have seen his great work in Cockadile Dundee. Oh, my God, yes. He was so hot in that. He was so hot in that. Yeah, wow.

He's a, you know, a celebrity, a comedian actor, TV presenter. Is it you told me the story about your friend? Yeah, can you tell that story? No, I don't know if I know what story you mean. We did get a story of simply the jest that was Ernie Dingo related. Oh, maybe that was about a little kid at water? Yeah, yeah, yeah. In my head, I've made that as your friend when they were a kid.

It was, I can't remember what the actual topic was on Simply the Just, which was a segment and then a podcast I used to do on Triple J but somebody was telling the story about when they were little they were walking along a pier and there was a bunch of like guys sitting on the pier fishing and this kid has like had a look into this huge bucket that had fish in it and they're only about two

and they've sort of tipped into the bucket just filled with water and stuff and somebody has grabbed them by the back of their t-shirt shirt and pulled them out of this bucket and their parents later told her that was Ernie Dingo. That's... Only Dingo saved me off. How good that!

Imagine drowning in a bucket of fish. And you would have if it wasn't for Ernie Dingo. Thank you, Eni Dingo. It's like drowning in a fish in a barrel. I'm looking up Ernie Dingo and Crocodile Dundee. Holy shit. Come on. Give us a quiz.

Hang on, I'm going to... Ooh, Ernie. Jeez, Louise. Oh my God. The hair. He's got tight curls. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

Gorgeous. Oh, my gosh. Beautiful man and very much loved in Australia. Ripped as well from memory. Yeah, still. I mean, that's just a headshot there. Still looking pretty good. Because he's got like the white beard and hair now.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, he looks good. He had a, white fox. He had a special on recently on the telly. And, uh, yeah, Isaac Compton was on it and Dan Simpson and a few others. Did you see Isaac's, um, TikTok with Annie? Oh, it's really cute. I'll show you later. It's really nice.

Love it. He also, for that, Isaac did, went around the streets asking people to name, name an Indigenous person. And in the end, he says to this guy, what about Isaac Compton? You know him? And the guy goes, nah. And Isaac sort of, obviously someone on the look on his face. And the guy goes, that way, that's you, isn't it? And that guy, I went to primary school with.

I'm like, I haven't seen that guy in 20 years. See? How about that? What are these brushes? with fame, a guy who was interviewed on TV one time. You know that guy? And where the Affluent East kids? Yep, Bachelor Girl.

I didn't get my own phone until I was 14. Oh, I didn't get mine. I didn't get mine until I was... Phones didn't exist for you. That's not fair. That's not a fair comparison. Yeah, but you had the car phone, the satellite phone. Your parents would have had that in the Bentley.

I was there when, uh, what? Came up with it. Hey, thought you should say ring-a-ding, ding, you got the king when you answer the phone. But I convinced him to say a hoi-hoi. Wow. So there you go. That's good stuff. Anyway.

It was a while ago. That's how I remember the story. I'm still writing my book about the history of the world. What? And that, I'll probably do a chapter about that anecdote. Now that I think about it, I'm going to make a matter of it. And while you're having to think about that, Dave, do know what? about Goff Whitlam.

All right, so they spend a lot of money. Yes. But the government, I'm thinking of the good times, this will last forever. Yeah, good times, when things are good, it's always going to be good. It's playing for the next several decades. And everyone's going to appreciate all these great changes we're making. Yeah, yeah. They love it.

All those really conservative people, they love that we're paying women more and actually acknowledging the existence of indigenous people. Yeah, and allowing people to move here who aren't just white. Yeah. We're thinking that in like 20, 30 years time it might be nice to have a child. Chinese restaurant around the corner. Wouldn't have, I mean, yeah, I don't know what they thought about the, the huge Chinese community who were already living in Australia for probably 100 years at that point.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Interesting. It is interesting, but yeah. And the Pacific Islands, our close neighbours. Yeah, stop, stop dropping nukes there for fun, France. What are you, Bond villains? What's going on, France? Why don't we talk about that more often? What the fuck was France doing?

Let's nuke an island. Oh, Dan, well, maybe in paradise. Fuck, I know. Most beautiful place you'll ever see. Wild. So, but the government faced an immediate shift in the global economic situation. Whitlam came to office just as the international economy was entering a period of unprecedented post-war volatility and rising inflation, for which neither his government nor the treasury was prepared.

Right. They made a lot of promises saying a vote for us, we'll do all these things. They did the things. but, you know, the money's not quite there. Well, here's the thing. That's where I want politicians to just talk to us like fucking people. Do you know what I'm like? That's what I dislike about politics.

I dislike the politics of politics. I don't like that it seems very fake and it's very like. So in that case, if I had voted for a party and they'd promised all these things and then there was unprecedented volatility in the market and they said, guys, totally, look, that's on us. We promised a bunch of things. There's no cash. We're going to have to pull it back a little bit.

I'd be like, thanks for letting me. No. Okay. I think that that would be nice, but I feel like a lot of people would feel cynical about that. Like, oh, great. You told us all this to get you in? And now, oh, no, it's out of our hands. We can't do it. Yeah. So you'd rather they just lie and connives. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying I can understand. It's a tight spot to be in it. Oh, it's the worst job in the world. What do you mean? We can't all have a Ferrari like you said. Come on. Yeah. I mean, Gough, he really shouldn't have said that. That one was, yeah. He was riffing that one.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. He was just pretty desperate at that point. And I'll have a Dalmatian in the boot. Everyone will have a Dalmatian in the boot. Cough? The boot's open. The dog's fine. He likes him in the boot.

Okay. Guff spiraling. So to this already volatile economic situation came the global oil shock of October 1973, increasing oil prices fourfold. And this led to what is known as stagflation together with stagnating growth and rising unemployment. So it's a bit of a recipe for disaster. Also, as you know, Australia has a bicameral or two-chamber system where there is a lower house and an upper house that both must approve bills for them to become laws. And like I said earlier, whoever has the

majority in the lower house, the house of representatives, can form government. Labor and Whitlam had this, but they didn't have a majority in the upper house of the Senate. And for laws to pass, they need to pass both. Yeah. So it's easy in the house reps. You've got the majority. You basically say, who votes for this? And, you know, nearly always people vote on party lines. So it rub a stamp almost. But in the upper house, the opposition started to block bill after bill so the government couldn't function. Basically, whatever they introduced, they'd say, no, no, no. So in 1974, the Senate refused to pass six bills after they were passed twice by the House of Representatives, one of which was about establishing Medibank, which became Medicare.

Which is a, that's a trick. What, how many for a trigger to a, a double dissolution? Well, that's exactly what happened. With the opposition threatening to disrupt money supply to the government, being like, they won't even pass it so you can pay government workers anymore. So it would be a complete disaster for the economy. So they're really doing, they're looking after the greater good, aren't they? Obviously, not playing politics with...

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's, that sucks. Yeah, Whitlam was able to trigger what is known as a double disillusion election, where the government asks to dissolve both houses of parliament. and have a full election rather than wait the full three years of their term. Right, okay, yep. It's basically a move to stop these stalemates. So in 1974, Australia again went to the polls.

The leader of the opposition was Billy Sneddon at this point, the liberal guy, after a campaign featuring the Labor slogan, Give Goff a fair go. Give Goff a fair shake of the source bottom. Just give it so in. Thank you. I'm very good at copyright. That's good writing.

I did one copywriting class at my... Degree. Did you get an A? Probably. I said what before it was Alexander Graham Bell. Close, though. What did Watt invent the steam train? What did what invent?

What? Who's on first? What? Bell? He liked that. It's a joke from his time. So he gets it. His contemporaries.

Yeah. I think I was there when they. That's pretty much what this book's going to be Oh yeah, I was there for that And it went a little similar to this It's a very funny idea that I'm sure no one's ever done before When you said what before I assumed that you were referencing

The like the inventor of the mobile telephone That I don't know their name I was probably another letter I honestly thought he was just going What You know I thought he was just having a bit of breakdown Wasn't there an inventor called what?

Oh God he's back on the laptop again Dave try and get through some while he's distracted What So there's a sudden election The Whitlam government was returned They held on With its majority in the House of Representatives Cut, though, from 7 to 5

And its Senate seats increased by 3 But it still didn't have majority in the Senate In the Senate The government and the opposition Each had 29 senators With two seats held by independents Interesting So they had the balance of power

Bob Catter And He's been around for so lot Honestly, honestly Has he been around that long? He might be 50 years. For a day and Tash listeners, that's the guy who said, oh, well, let a thousand blossoms of bloom,

but I'm not going to be spending another minute. Because every three weeks, a person's ripped apart by a crocodile or something like that. Yeah, yeah. We should know that off by heart. Oh, you didn't get a word of it, right? That should be the national answer. We're young.

You're at the Rugby World Cup. Please rise for the Australian National Anthem. I said, boom! But I ain't spent it any more time on it. In 1974, Bob Catter was first elected. Wow. But first to the Queensland Parliament. Right.

So he has been a politician. He was alive and active as a politician. That's amazing. And he's still going. It was James Watt, Scottish inventor and engineer who significantly improved the steam engine. I see. And we thank him for his service. And the what?

The unit of power is named in his honour. I mean, we've all improved the steam engine. Yeah. But it's two companies. up with it, mate. Yeah, yeah. What have you painted red? What?

Well, you've just improved. So the bills that have been rejected to trigger the double disillusion in the first place were again rejected by the new Senate. So they went through all of this and that got rejected. So for the first and only time so far in Australia's history, a special joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament was conducted where they acted as one big house. And if you can get a majority across all of those seats.

Which they would have. Yeah, because they're just. in front, because they had a majority, they were able to pass all six bills, Medibank came into. That's wild. Wow. And the Liberal Party must have known that. So they're just playing funny buggers to waste people's time.

They would know you can do this if we make you. And we're going to make you just to... But I think it's never been done before. So it would probably take a lot of legal consulting of the Constitution. Can we do this? I don't really understand how things worked before Medicare or MediBank then. Well, everything was like three, four cents. Fuck.

But you had to pay those full three, four cents yourself. What? If you want to go to the doctor? You never got a rebound in those three, four cents. Do you go on to that day? What was it like before that? No, you don't have to go into that. It's just...

I think it's something like 20% of the population had no health insurance. Right. So if you want... So private health insurance still existed? Yeah, you could get health insurance, but I think if you went to the doctor, you just had to pay fully out of pocket what the price was. And it meant a lot of people just couldn't afford to go to the doctor or have an operation or whatever. I think that's a bad system.

Hmm. vote for me and can i say they passed it but then the liberals later with got rid of it and then the labor had to reintroduce medicare so there was a time where it was up everyone had it then it was taken away could it still be taken away yeah like i mean there every election that comes up the labor party do a bit of a fear campaign that we can't trust them with this they might take it away and the liberal party say no no we're not going they know how pops it is they're like no no no we won't we won't be touching around for so long now that we're so used to it.

But Dutton had said earlier before he was leader, before the last election, he did suggest that they should get rid of it. And that those clips came back to kind of haunt him a bit. Yeah. But he's like, obviously that was very naive. I'm embarrassed looking back at that interview. When I said that, three weeks ago.

Yeah, that was when I was just speaking my mind. That was the old me. I'm trying to smile now. Yeah. Haven't you seen the puff pieces? So they had this year Historic Joint Seating of the Two Houses

And that session was authorised By the new Governor General John Kerr Turn No That's bad bit of sure John Kerr Two most famous things about this guy

This is one of them Do you talk about his other one? Is it him who Was real drunk at the horse races Drunk at the Melbourne Cup Yeah They got up on the Got up on the microphone

Yeah Clearly wasted There is two most famous things Both kind of shameful Now what is it Governor General I hear you ask What? Oh yes You're always one step ahead

The Governor General of Australia is the Federal Representative of the Monarch of Australia Who back then and for like For a long time was Queen Elizabeth the 2nd What? Yeah She was back then Yes

She was still alive Oh your future proofing the episode Yeah In case, God forbid, one day. It's a great one passes. Imagine media being like, is it an honor to meet you a great one? It's a great one. It's actually, just nap me up.

She prefers Her Majesty and then ma'am, but all right. I say dab me up as well. It's mom. Dab me up, queen. I say ma'amulation. But I'm saying queen with a K. Yes. And I'm saying dapp with a bee.

So the governor general, who's, representing the queen is selected by the prime minister, but it's formally appointed by the monarch of Australia on the prime minister's advice, basically. The prime minister picks it and then the queen signs off on it. Sure. The governor general has a large community role, hosting events and honors, that kind of stuff. They also have a ceremonial role in swearing in and accepting resignations of members of parliament. Technically, they're the top. Technically. It's like the queen, or one day maybe the king of England is. sort of the top but the prime minister really has the heads of state i'll put it into

chambers people i understand it's kind of like in parks and rec when they need an interim mayor um which just is like a um yeah it's it's a it's a i really appreciate you helping uh make this more digestible no one likes you Dave, do go on This truculent runt over here That was too real No, that's fine, don't worry about it I don't want to talk about it anymore

I mean you lost me when you said mayor To all All members must make an oath Of affirmation of allegiance to the monarch In the presence of the Governor General Before they're allowed to take their seat as a politician They are also technically considered The Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force

In reality, however, they don't make military decisions. They do stuff like commissioning offices in the Navy, in the Army, the Air Force. Cutting ribbons. A lot of that. Or visiting military units to acknowledge the service of personnel. The Governor General also has some responsibility for making sure Australia is governed according to the rules in the Constitution, and they do have some constitutional powers that are rarely used, which according to the Parliamentary Education Office,

are generally considered, but a bit open to interpretation, to be. they can appoint a Prime Minister if an election has not resulted in a clear outcome, dismiss a Prime Minister if they have lost the support of the majority of members of the House of Representatives, refuse a request from a Prime Minister to call an election, refuse a request for a double disillusion, which we just spoke about, or dismiss a Prime Minister or Minister if they break the law. However, they are generally bound by convention to act on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Federal Executive Council.

They are required to remain politically neutral and to only act in accordance with Parliament. A lot of it is based on tradition of those who've gone before. For example, the Governor General gives, quote, royal assent to a bill, a proposed law, passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Governor General may recommend changes to a bill.

However, no Governor General has ever refused to give royal assent. So they could technically block a bill, but no one has ever done that. And because decades of tradition, you don't want to be the first one who just goes in there like, the real rebel. If you do it, because can the prime minister just,

can you get sacked by the prime minister? They kind of give you the job. So it's funny to be, that's like a funny sort of power balance. Yeah, it's a two-way thing where the governor general is the only person that can sack a prime minister, but the prime minister is basically the only one

who can dismiss a governor general. Right. I had to Google who our current governor. a general is. I couldn't tell you. Is it Sam Moston? Yes. Okay, that's the first time I've heard that name.

Is she the first woman? No, remember Quentin Brice? Oh my God, of course. That's right, she's the second. But I think, she's not the first. She's the second. Quentin Bryce would be the, maybe the last one I remember. What about Peter Cosgrove?

He was the one before, I think. Right, okay. That's the last one I remembered. So that was a while ago, was it? it's a while back. Yeah, I think Howard put him in, didn't you? Okay. No, I don't think so.

No, I don't think so, Jess. I don't think so, Jess, you stupid bitch. I wouldn't say that, no. Anyway. Let's look it up. Come on. We've got the Google. But you're telling us a lot about... You're telling us a lot about what Governor-General's do and what they definitely don't do.

Oh, they don't... I mean, they've got this power technically. Technically, but it's not something that's ever wielded. Never wielded. Mm-hmm. And until the 1960s, nearly all. all the governors general were English members of the aristocracy, including Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the son of King George V.

Huh. So they were often like, baron of blah, blah, like those kind of guys. But will they send them to live in Australia? Yeah. Ew. I know. What a punishment. Yeah.

I was, yeah, I think I've merged Peter Hollingworth and Peter Cosgrove's in my head as the same guy. Hmm. And I reckon if you looked at photos, you would understand what. It is Cosgrove. Oh, it is Cosgrove, okay. So, I mean, maybe that was part of my merging. Yeah. That I...

You've included Gillian Cosgrove. Yeah. Peter Holbroke. Who should be Governor General. I don't, yes. So Peter Cosgrove was quite recent. Right, okay. Yeah.

So until the 60s, they were English aristocracy. Yeah, and now, since then, they've all been Aussies. Mm-hmm. So in 1974, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam appointed John Kerr to be the 18th Governor-General of Australia. Kerr was a 60-year-old barrister and judge who had been born to working-class parents in Sydney where he'd won scholarships to Fort Street Boys High School and the University of Sydney where he studied law. So he actually comes from pretty humble beginnings. He's not from the old boys club.

He became a barrister, but, you know, obviously becomes part of it, before being appointed to the Commonwealth Industrial Court in 1966, later serving on Territory Supreme Courts and as Chief Justice of New South Wales. The previous Governor-General, Sir Paul Hasluck, sounds like he's got a bit of luck. Paul has luck. He declined an extension of his term,

so Prime Minister Whitlam offered the post to Kenneth Meyer. He too declined. Whitlam then offered the position to his treasurer, Frank Crean, and then his own deputy, Lance Barnard, neither of whom was keen to move on from Parliament. So finally, Whitlam approached John Kerr, His fifth choice. Wow, that's what you want.

And he'd live to regret that fifth choice. Oh. John, more like Wayne. No, let people figure it out at home. Wayne. Let's not spoon feed it. It's a funny name. It's a great name.

Wayne. I think it's a great name. I love it too. According to the ADOB again, Dron Kerr rejected the idea that the governor general was a powerless position. Okay. He's like, it's not just a figurehead. It's not just ceremonial.

No, come on. I'm not just here for looks. No. Okay, I've got power. I'm the top dog. He was from accounts, a pretty arrogant guy. Okay. And showed off to at least one person that he was, he described himself as the most

powerful man in the country. Okay. Dangerous. He figured that technically, according to the constitution, he could dismiss the prime minister. So he's like, I guess I'm above him. I mean, if I've got the power to fire, someone i guess i'm their boss he was perhaps then the wrong choice i think so instantly power went to

his head yeah yeah yeah so let's put a pin in that piece of foreshadowing someone who just like does not respect the history of it it's like man it's basically you're just a figurehead yeah it's ceremonial mainly yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah i can see a ceremony where i sack the prime minister i'm gonna chop his head off do i get a crown yeah yeah yeah at the ceremony yeah ceremonial yeah Where's my helicopter? If I push a button, can the helicopter come here? Can I... How many ships have I got at my disposal?

How many ships? I wish to wage war on small islands. There are many around us. Tasmania. Let's get the nukes back. Thank you for your patience. Your call is important. Can't take being on hold anymore?

Fizz is 100% online, so you can make the switch in minutes. Mobile plans. at $15 a month. Certain conditions apply. Details at fizz.ca. So let's talk about some of the many scandals that racked the Whitlam Labor government because also the money stuff,

there was also a few scandals going on because it wasn't all smooth sailing. Here's a quick sort of greatest hits of the bad, bad bits. Great. There's... Worst hits. Yeah, this is the worst hits. Where were the worst hits compilations?

Yeah. Where's the non-essential John Farnum? Well, there isn't any... How dare you? Well, they did release a three-disc anthology, the greatest hits, and then sort of the B-Sides and rarities. Maybe that's what you're talking about. And then a best-of-live stuff, I think, from memory. So maybe you're thinking...

Is that what you think about it? I'm always thinking about that. So in 1973, you had what were called the Murphy raids. Attorney General Lionel Murphy operating without any permission from Prime Minister Whitlam or his cabinet, rated the officers of ASIO, which is Australia's top spy agency, including their Canberra office at midnight, hoping to obtain terrorism-related information

that the ASIO was accused of withholding. Okay. Do they find anything? Well, no. Okay. The Prime Minister of Yugoslavia was about to visit, and ASIO officers claimed not to be able to locate the file which to properly brief Murphy. he's like, I guess I'll just go get it myself then.

So we got ordered the police to raid ASIO. And people were like, what the fuck? You can't raid ASIO. This is not a good look for the government. They're just sending local constables down. And they're like knocking on the door like, I think you probably outrank me, but I've been sent here to raid you, I guess. And you're the government raiding ASIO.

It's like, doesn't the ASIO like work for the government? Like, aren't you all sort of sharing stuff together? So not a good look. It also pissed off the end. United States, who were sharing information from their own spy agencies with ASIO, and we're pretty alarmed at their top secret information being rated as well. Yeah, yeah. So it was a diplomatic incident. We don't like to upset the US. No. We don't like it. Yeah. And you can see that in recent dispatches from the Prime Minister. It's always very diplomatic. Yeah. But, you know,

You read between the lines. Things are a bit weird over there. Things are getting a bit weird. Not wrong. We're not saying, you know, anything in particular. Not bad, weird. Yeah. Necessarily.

Just different. Stay weird. Austin. The weed are the mall. Proudly. Proudly. Weird can be a positive, a compliment. I mean, how, it's the weird.

Joe Rogan's mother ship is there. Yeah. That's weird. That's weird. That's weird. That's weird. It's weird. It's weird.

It's weird. As for the raids themselves, they didn't get any good information out of it. According to the legendary journalist George Negus, who was then Murphy's press secretary. The man, the myth, the mustache. This is what he said. He said, quote, Lionel, it's Laura Murphy, had asked for the files of the six most dangerous or subversive people in Australia. When the files arrived, Murphy found they were of several communist party unionists and people. such as a communist party leader

and peace movement movement activist Mavis Robertson when he told Whitlam they both laughed they were like yeah this is the most dangerous person in Australia Mavis Mavis

they were like okay I guess we could probably have the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia come here it's okay You know George Negus's son was in Crocodile Dundee What the hell

He's Annie Dingo's dad And then worked at the ABC It all ties together. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I bet they all went to the same school. I worked with him. Really? You weren't work with Junior Negus.

Yeah, Serge. Serge. Negus. He was on Crocodile Dundee? He plays Crocodile Dundee's son, Nickyrocodile Dundee, too. Oh. Is it the second year, I think so, yeah. Escape to New York or whatever it's called.

Oh, was that number three? Oh, maybe. Crocodle Dundee in Los Angeles. Oh. Escape to New York. The first one, he goes to New York, isn't he? That's where it's not enough. Anyway, a bit of fun fact there for you.

Because we've brought up Cockarles Undy twice. Good luck getting that knife into America these days. I'll tell you that. Good like getting it into the bloody MCG, mate. Yeah. I just try to take my knife out for a nice night out. Yeah. Nice knife out.

I now pronounce you. Can't bring my knife in. My knife's my best friend. I'm going to eat this meat pie with that or not ridiculous they just hand it to you I like to eat my my meat pie with a knife and fork

thank you very much so I'd be why I oh I've got a fork as well it's joking it's a really big pitchfork pitchfork in a massive plate what I like to eat a pie at the footy

the most Australian thing you can do oh sorry that I'm maybe a little more delicate than people who eat with their hands no I use cutlery yeah I like it on my grubby little fingers I don't know where I've been. Or even worse than that, I do know where they're named. So that's one scandal.

Then in December 1974, Deputy Prime Minister Jim Cairns was named the new treasurer. Cairns' reputation took an early blow with media coverage of the appointment of Juni Morosi as his private secretary, a woman with no prior treasury or public service experience, and with whom he engaged in an extramarital affair. Oh. There was some pretty grubby and sexist 1970s media coverage over the whole thing. Juni Marisi's wiki page says this. The fact that Marosi was quote unquote exotic, in any brackets, the media's code word for Asian, youngish, she was 41, and attractive was given much prominence.

They didn't put anything in brackets after attractive, allegedly. Can I just... No, attractive, not my taste, but some... Just want to underline the fact that 41 is youngish. Yeah. So you two are like little children. Oh my gosh. I think it might be youngish.

Compared to a very old man. In comparison to Jim Cairns, yeah. Then it says, this is on the wiki page, it says citation needed. But from what I've heard and read, it does sound accurate. The media covered it in a really gross way. Yeah, of course. So that's just one of the smaller scandals. But then a much bigger scandal that haunted the government in the long term was what is called the loans affair.

Again, this is a very brief. of you, Australia's Minister for Minerals and Energy was Rex Connor. I'd vote for that guy. We need more Rex's. Bring it in. Rex needs to come back. Well, there's one way you can do that, Jess. Rename my dog.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. That is a, that actually, it's a dull dog name, but a great human name. Yeah, well, yeah, it was just overdone for dogs. Yeah. It's a hacky dog. Yeah. But for a human.

Rex is a bit fucking basic for a dog. It's a bit like Bella. Every dog's called Bella Or lunar Lunar That's a big one Lunar's a big one What about them

What would make it a lunar Because it's like a moon Is it they dark as dogs It's like a nightish dog Oh yeah It's got no pants Prominent annus It's got a

Prolapse A little peach butt Yeah Well it's basically anal backwards Oh my God it is too Annal crap Luna Park Dad told me that when I was a kid

and I didn't realize how funny it was He didn't look at you and say My humour is wasted on you boy God You're a constant disappointment to me So the loans affair According to the National Archives of Australia Rex Connor saw enormous potential

For Australia to develop its considerable minerals and energy resources In a way that retained Australia's control over them That sounds good The world energy crisis And a worse-seeing economy Conner looked to overseas loans through non-traditional sources as the solution.

Oh dear. Let's borrow money now, spend it, and then we'll make money later. Yeah, non-traditionally. Great. Put it all on the doggies. He was introduced to a London-based commodities trader named Tirath Kemalani. Rex Conner was given authorization by the Federal Executive Council, which is signed off by the Governor General John Kerr to raise loans of U.S. 4 million, sorry, of U.S. 4,000

million, also known as $4,000 million. For what was described as temporary purposes. So a huge loan you can get from this private guy. Four billion. Wait, Australia just went to a guy. Yeah, just a guy. This feels like it's going to go well. Are they doing it through WhatsApp? They found him on Craigslist. Hey, you up? Um, $4 billion. You got it? Make me at this address. You know, I wanted non-denational bills, yeah. Conner's negotiations with Kemalani proved fruitless. No funds were secured, but the secrecy surrounding the dealings were broken by or broken by the opposition questions in Parliament.

The opposition were like, sorry, you're doing what? You're getting money from where? And not telling people? This is weird. So the executive council revoked Conner's authority in May, 1975. They said, actually, don't worry about it. But in October, the Melbourne Herald published information showing that Connor had continued his attempts to secure the loans after his authority had been provoked.

Yeah, there's two ways a Rex Conner's going to. He's either a guy gets results or he's just a rogue, weirdo. Because he, I think he believed in it so much. He's like, no, no, no, I can get the money. I'm good for him. I get things done. Yeah. Get results.

I'm imagining like an interesting hat. Yeah. Yeah, mate, a fedora, but it's got polka dots on it. Yeah, interesting. Mate, I'm interested in that hat. Hey, what's like I've got to do it over there with that interesting hat? What's going on with that hat? It's a conversation starter, for sure.

Is that a mini mouse fedora? Has you got mini mouse ears on it as well? That is interesting. That is interesting. Yes. Okay, Rex. Okay. Rex, are you okay?

I was thinking more like a, um, like a crocodile dundee hat. Oh, yeah, yeah. But we could go with Pocodot mini mouse. Fedora. A guy wearing a Pocodot, mini mouse, fedora hat being like, do you have $4 billion? I know what the game's going to be in the Patriot section. Everyone's an interesting hat. Everyone's wearing an interesting hat.

Describe their hat. So this came out and Rex had to resolve. line because he started to try to get money even when he wasn't allowed to. Yeah, that's fair. He's gone. That's a big deal already. Then Deputy Prime Minister and Treasure Jim Cairns, who's having an affair with the exotic young lady. With the really interesting exotic young woman. Oh my God. She's Asian. He also lost his front bench positions due to loan raising activities. He denied trying to raise a loan, but then a letter was produced that he'd signed offering someone a two and a half percent commission on the loan if they could secure it. So Whitlam had to

fire him because he was like, I'm not doing that. This paper says you are and he goes, oh, crap. Wetham's like, guys, I operate fast and loose very publicly. You're doing fast and loose sort of in the shadows. Yeah, you're doing stuff without even telling me about it. This is not fast and loose, but tell me first, that I can get on board with. I'll, I'll announce it through my loud speaker in the tank. Yeah. You can borrow the tank if you need. We'll let everyone know. You got to, via the tank. You got to talk to me about these things, though. So while the loans affair never resulted in any actual loan, according to author and Whitlam speechwriter Graham Freudenberg, which is an incredible name.

Another great name. I love it. Quote, the only cost involved was the cost to the reputation of the government. That cost was to be immense. It was government itself. I don't get it. It was government itself. Basically, it was going to cost them their entire government.

That's how bad this. Went for them. Sorry. Did you want that to be a moment where we went, whoa! No, I do enjoy the look of confusion in your face. Okay, yeah, yeah. I was really trying and I just didn't understand. I understood it and really reacted big inside.

I just thought I didn't want to be uncouthed at all. Did you hear any of it? Yeah, yeah. Be honest. Did you hear anything, Dave has said today. The government itself. That's good. And I think AJ will put in a dun dun dun da.

Yeah, if you want. You can even use that one. I just did. That was perfect. Go again clean Dun-d-D-D-D-D-D-D-H-A-J use that whenever you want Yeah, drop that I'd put that

Put a redurb on that On your machine Yeah, on your machine We should like point to him on the camera He's got on us And then he just puts it in For example, now Dun-Dun-Dun

Is it true that this episode might be Is this might be going to be available Video-wise for patrons Yeah, let's say that And if it's not true, AJ, edit this out. That's right. Ad free and also video, not free. And bonus episodes.

For a month. Do go on pod. That's the slash bit of the end. And then before that, pageon.com. I think that's a new way of saying that address. It's better. People felt like when they were given information just like clearly, it was like, it was pandering. It was like, well, don't make me, and now I'm not working for it.

It's sort of like, by giving people information in a really jumbled way, it's like Sudoku for the brain. Yes. We're going to, yeah, it's a cryptic clue. That's right. Two hour. See if you can find us. Patreon address. I got rid of my email.

It's at DA mail. V. W. XX1. Dot. Oh, I don't know. Too many dots. Hang on.

I don't like it. I'm sorry. It's just a. level you're not up to yet, but you'll get there. I do. I really, Sudoku makes me feel bad. No, I'm not good with numbers. Yeah.

But then cryptic crosswords are too confusing as well. I think I like word searches. I think I like those. Those are nice. I've been following minute cryptic. You want to follow that guy? No. He's an Aussie guy.

And does he explain. And he does one clue a day and he sort of works your way through it. Shows like to teach you the tricks and stuff. The workings out of it. Yeah. Do you reckon you've. picked up a few? Yeah, definitely solve them. Like I'll, every second one now, I'll probably solve without his help when early on it would have been way less than that. That's great.

Nice. I'm proud of you. Thank you so much. So, Whitlam, I've got to say, he was a pretty arrogant guy himself and he thought he could ride out any controversy. And pride, as they say, comes before the fall and he ignored many warning signs. Some of the warning signs came from Goff's new opponent, Malcolm Fraser, who had taken over as leader of the Liberal party after they lost the 1974 double disillusioned election, also a towering six foot five. He was a match both in size and political maneuvering for Goff Whitlam. He was one of the guys I was talking about before and said old liberal prime ministers who seem like they're shitting on current liberal policies and it's abhorrent. It's cruel.

Oh yeah, that's right. About refugees and other such things. He was one of them while he was still alive. Spoiler, alert. Hang on. Press and peace. It's ruined everything. Awkward things must come to an end. There's more than enough info on all of these guys that are in reports, particularly Goff Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser.

But as a brief summary, 14 years younger than Goff Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser was born in Turok in Melbourne on the 21st of May 1930, also going by his middle name. His first name was also John. Two rack for people who don't know, that's like the, that's the affluent, affluent east. Oh, yeah, holy shit. That's Melbourne's most expensive suburb. Yep. His father...

It's just mansion, mansion, mansion, mansion. Cafe. But, like, you can't afford that cafe. Yeah, you... Not those shoes. Keep driving to Moulvin, mate. And then maybe you can afford a coffee. Maybe.

Maybe. Moulvin, what's about the third most expensive? His father, Neville Fraser, played first class cricket for Oxford, playing primarily as a leg break googly bowler. What the fuck are you talking about? But don't be ridiculous. Come on, you know this. He took a total of 59 wickets in 17.

matches at an average of 23.57, which is very good. A leg break, googly. So it's like Shane Warren's style, leg break, leg spinner. No, I don't want to, I don't want to understand it. You other want to know? I just want to criticize it. Okay. Leg break, googly bowler.

That's silly. Did he bowl any Chinaman? That was the one that was, what is that? Slow left hand spin, is it? Yeah. I don't know what that means. Or I'm about playing like, Shane Warren Cricket, 99 and Pete.

This one, you could, like, pick a bowler in one and then would be, yeah, slow left chinaman. I remember, A, B would bowl left arm orthodox, which I think is like finger spin for a left armour, maybe. This, it feels like, remember we did that episode that was trying to explain cricket, and we just got confused, and all the cricket, people who love cricket who listen just were like, this is bad. You are, you are, if everything he said was wrong. So I had to change the name from cricket explainer to cricket explainer by people

who don't really understand cricket. Yeah. So anyway, I just went, I thought it was interesting. His father was quite a good cricketer. But then World War I started in 1914, to his dad enlisted. Was he, so he was English born, or he wasn't Australian playing for Oxford? Yeah, his dad, too. Oh, I think Australian playing for Oxford.

Right. And he enlisted in England for the First World War. Anyway, his son Malcolm Fraser was born in Turek, but he was raised on his father's sheep stations in New South Wales. He studied politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford, returning to Australia in 195, elected in 195 as the Liberal member for Wannan. He was the new parliament's youngest member being only about 25. Wow.

It's funny, even the Victorian-born, or Melbourne-born, future prime ministers, both two of the three that you've talked about, like, and when they were young, they moved to New South West. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I rolled my eyes because I was like, Yay, Turok! Yay, Turek! Yeah, I was like, well...

It was definitely the first time I've ever thought that. It was definitely the first time I ever thought that, but I thought, well, you know, that's in Melbourne. Hey, about time, the underdogs from Turok. God, it's good to get some people from Turac into Parliament, I reckon. If they can get out of their mega-menchets. Why would they take the pay cut? Yeah.

He married Tammy Beggs the following year. This is Malcolm Fraser and they had four children. So he was an experienced government minister When the Liberals had been in power He was minister for the army in 1966 During the Vietnam War A quick, just a quick memory there He missed one earlier

Did I? 66, that's the year that Chicago Bulls were formed Where Michael Jordan went under play Where he wore his North Carolina University shorts Underneath his Bulls shorts Which is why big baggy basketball shorts Became popular It's also the year that the Saints won their one and only

FFL AFL Premiership Thank you, thank you England won there One and only Men's Football World Cup I don't think the women's I think it might just be the only World Cup

Probably didn't need the men qualify there I don't think England have won In the women's have they They won the Euros It's the lionesses You're looking at me I thought you were the footie fan No

Tess is all about rugby union They're supposed I love rugby Indian She loves it So in 1975, at the age of just 44, he was leader of the opposition, this is Malcolm Fraser, and they were sticking it to Gough Whitland's Labour Party, because although Labor had the majority in the lower house, which gave them the right to form government, remember the Liberals had the majority in the upper house, the Senate. And for a law to pass, it must pass both houses.

When he assumed leadership of the Liberal Party in March 1975, Malcolm Fraser pledged that the opposition would only use its Senate numbers to block supply in the quote, most extraordinary and reprehensible circumstances. And nearly any time Labor did anything, sort of slightly dodgy or anything, the media would say, is this it? Is this reprehensible circumstances? It's not like what making medicine affordable, stuff like that. Yeah, reprehensible.

Punish him. And he kept being asked and he said, no, no, no. But then finally, he cited the loans affair that I mentioned before as an example of the circumstances. So they started to block the supply. and they are, you know, which would allow the government's budgetary legislation to pass, and they just kept blocking it, hoping, again, to force the government to call an election. The Senate blocked passage of appropriation bills needed to finance government expenditure, basically making it impossible for the government to continue.

They couldn't spend any money, and this was the beginning of the constitutional crisis. It's such a bad precedent to set. Like, oppositions have been doing that probably forever, I guess, but just like burning the place to the ground. And it's what led to that really tumultuous time, you know, 10 years back where prime ministers changed every couple of years. It's because the oppositions were just so brutal. They weren't playing, like, looking after Australia as a country. They were just playing politics, which I guess they always do, but in a more vicious way.

And then they get in a power. And everyone's like, what are you got? All you did was be negative. And now you're in. They're like, oh, shit. And then the opposition does the same to them. And it switches again, and it's like, it's just such a, yeah, short-term, short-sided way to run politics. Well, they're looking at the polls going, I was actually looking a bit better for us now.

Let's force him to make an election now. We might get in. We'll get in. Like all the previous scandals and incidents, Goughfoot Lim assumed that he'd be able to ride it out. And like I said earlier, ignored warning signs that his government's future was at stake. He even allowed Malcolm Fraser, the leader of the opposition, to have several private meetings with the Governor General John Kerr, which they wouldn't have been able to meet without the Prime Minister's permission. Right.

And he was a bit like, yeah, what's the worst that could happen? You guys can have a chat. Yeah. So he was maybe a little cocky? A little cocky. Yeah. Yeah. We now know that in those meetings, Fraser was pressuring John Kerr to act or he'd say he'd badmouthed him publicly for not doing so and start blaming the Governor General. And this is a guy who's already said he already had sort of like, well, I mean, I guess I could do something. I am the most powerful man. Yeah, yeah. What do you call it?

Something of something? What do you say that? Delusions of grandeur? Yes, thank you. Incredible. That was great. Matt Stewart translation. Thanks, Jess.

You're usually, yeah. One of us will usually get it. It's usually you, Dave. Sometimes I just look at, even if I get it, sometimes I'm just like, I just stare at him. Like, how d-I. I wasn't getting that one, though. That was good. Something of something.

Yeah. Yeah. It was pretty straightforward. Queen of England. Because remember in extreme circumstances, for example, where the government can't supply because the bills aren't being passed, the Governor General could have the power to dismiss the Prime Minister in their government. And like we said before, though, the Prime Minister was also the one that can fire the, or get the balls rolling to fire the Governor General.

So, because of this, John Kerr never said to Goff Whitlam, if you don't get it going, I'm considering sacking you. because as soon as he said anything like that, Goff Whitlam would be on the blower to the queen to say, get rid of this guy. Right, yeah. So they can't really tell each other what they're really thinking

because they are the only two people that can fire each other. Could Goof Whitlam just get on the blower to the queen? Oh! Yeah. Lizzie, babe. What time is it there? Ah, the great one.

What's up, champion? You got got got got got. Goff. Ring-a-ding-ding, you got the king. Sorry, queen, here we go. Here we go. All right. I've had some more meth.

So, Whitlam never dreamed that John Kerr would do such a thing in Fireroom. His belief was that the Governor General's role was to follow the advice of the Prime Minister of the day. He steadfastly believed that convention would be followed and that he would come out on top. Did he believe that? Because that's what had been the case for, what, 60 odd years? Yeah. And he thought, no one would ever go against that.

That would be crazy. Didn't even consider it. So in Parliament, the opposition of blocking bills and saying the government should call an early election, which was risky because publicly they could be blamed for the hold-up of not passing bills, and the Australian population might turn against them and blame the liberals for playing politics, basically, and really put them off. This was a big deal in the media, so Malcolm Fraser was taking a real gamble. So they're absolutely going at each other in Parliament and in the media, but on the 10th of

November, the two adversaries, Goff Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser found themselves at an event together. Oh, no. They were in... The same pool party. Oh, this is awkward. They both reached for the fairy bread at the same time. Aw.

It was the last piece. Oh, no. They were in Melbourne. That's where we are. Yes. As honoured guests, which we are, of the recently re-elected Lord Mayor or Mayor Ron Walker. Ah, yes.

Ron Walker, who went on to be major events? Wasn't he the head of major events, Victoria? He did a lot of stuff in like, I think, yeah. Brought the Grand Prix to Melbourne and stuff like that. Became a billionaire. Oh, that Ron Walker. Yeah, I'd like... I've been in his house.

Have you? Yes. Were you at this party? I was at that party. Oh, what? His house is like an art gallery. Why were you in his house? It was when I was doing...

Yeah, yeah, I've been in his house. When I was doing an internship at Channel 10 News, he was being interviewed for something. Wow, it was his house. It was in Turok, would you believe? I would believe, yep. Off tap. Oh, yeah, yeah. Like, we were in a room that I was literally like,

this is just an art gallery. What do you mean? This can't be, nobody lives in this space. That's incredible. Yeah. Incredible and just how it should be. And yeah, yeah, yeah.

Good use of space. And that guy was the mayor. Making, yeah, made a lot of money due to his like public service jobs. In 2023, it sold for $60 million. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Whoa. Connections you get, I think, in the public server. I think you should be exploited for personal gain.

And that's why, to answer your question you said before, why take the pay cut? That's why. Yeah, yeah. As I said it, I'm like, well, you know, it's the official pay cut. But the future. So they were in Melbourne as honoured guests of the recently re-elected Lord Bear Ron Walker. The media covered the event and cough with them couldn't help but take a dig at Malcolm Fraser when he gave a speech. He said, I have very great pleasure in congratulating you this year, as you congratulated me last year on achieving a second term.

Yours, of course, is only for one year, whereas everybody knows mine is for three. Yet another indication to Malcolm Fraser, who's sitting right there, that Gough Whitlam intended his government to serve the full three-year term. He would not be going to the polls early, no matter the pressure that Malcolm Fraser heaped on him. Even so, after the event, Gough Whitlam offered Malcolm Fraser and his team a lift back to Canberra in his VIP prime ministerial aeroplane because they all had Parliament the next morning. so can they all be on the plane together just like we can't travel together yeah i watch heads of state recently where the uh american president played by john sina

was on the same plane as idris alba okay the ukays prime minister yes and it went well i'll say no more but pooh geez things got a little hairy oh my gosh yeah yeah yeah yeah I want to tryla, dare I say, a bit of fun? Yeah, a bit of fun and sad. A bit of a, was it a romp? It was rompish. I'd be interested in checking out. I think this is the best way to describe it.

You know those movies where there's a car chase at one point and the driver who's like an anonymous kind of henchman or whatever? He gets shot while behind the wheel and his foot clenches and pushes down. And then one of the good guys would have asked to grab the wheel from behind. It's that kind of movie. Fantastic. That is a great description of the, the genre of film. Now I get it.

I'm actually saving it as we speak. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm saving that for a flight, I think. Yeah. That's a plane movie. I think so, even though there is potentially a plane incident in it, but if you're not a nervy flyer, I think that's fine. All right, I'll watch that on land. On a boat.

No, I'm not getting on a boat, Dave. I'll distract you from the vomiting. So we get to November 11, 1975. Rememberance Day here in Australia. Also, do go on's anniversary. And the events of the days... That was very respectful of us. It was, wasn't it?

That's like a kind of international remembrance day, isn't it? Or is it, it's probably called different things elsewhere. It doesn't matter. Do they call it VE Day? Is that? They being everyone else? So in the UK, that's what I'm talking about. No, that's Friday.

That's May 8. Oh, that's Victory in Europe Day. I'll find out. You keep talking. Okay, I'll keep talking. Sorry. da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da oh that little Spanish flea No, it's November 11, 1975, and it would be unforgettable.

With Parliament about to sit, Gough Whitlam was confident that after four weeks of the supply being blocked, he would soon prevail. The poll showed that Malcolm Fraser was losing support for blocking Labor's bills. The public was starting to turn. Public's like, come on, guys. All right. Actually work for the people, not just sniping at each other. A Sydney Morning Herald poll stated that 70% of Australia's capital city voters thought the

Senate should allow supply to pass and over half thought that Labor should continue to govern. And the capital city voters are the important ones. Come on. Rural schmoral, I say. Mainly because it is the vast majority of the Australian population. No, that's not what I'm getting at. Okay.

I'm saying we are better. What the heck? You know where my roots are? And I'll stand up for those roots. So it's Armistice Day in France, Belgium and Serbia. That's what I think. Armistice is not being. Poland, it's National Independence Day.

Remembrance Day in the UK and in the Commonwealth, including Australian Canada, and Veterans Day in America. And, you know, it's a bunch of others. It's Independence Day a few places like Angola and Colombia. We should call it Independence Day. Sorry, I'm late, Mr. President. Republic Day in the Maldives?

Women's Day in Belgium. Peppero Day in South Korea. Peppero. Peppero. I mean, in what countries it do-go-on-day? That's like, well, probably international waters. I think it's going to be do-go-on-day. When do go on, no longer exists.

Oh, okay. I don't think. You don't celebrate it while it's still alive. Yeah. Yeah, like Remembrance Day is remembering a war that ended. Exactly. Yeah, absolutely right. When this war ends, maybe we'll remember it.

We'll get posthumously recognized. I hope so. So, Goff Whitlam had a plan to stop the stalemate. He wanted to hold a half Senate election. That would mean only half of the seats of the Senate, the upper house where he didn't have the majority would go to elections. Maybe he could win enough seats to retake a. majority and then he could pass as many bills as you liked. Okay.

Because a quirk of the Senate is sometimes all of them go out, all the seats go up for election, but some of them also, it's only, I think they're staggered, so only half of them. And he was like, let's just call that bit early. Maybe I could retake the majority in the Senate. No longer would be an issue for me. It feels like a gamble. And the lower house where I hear the majority already would remain untouched, so he wouldn't risk losing any of his majority.

That's his plan. So that morning he invited Malcolm Fraser to a meeting and proposed the half-Senat election. Fraser predictably refused and said he wanted to push for a full election. Well, bad luck, Gough Whitland didn't need Fraser's permission. The only person he needed to convince was the Governor General John Kerr, because it's the Governor General who signs off on elections and these things. And I remember, Goff was of the opinion that the Governor-General would do as he was told and take the advice of his Prime Minister.

Because that's the role of the Governor-General. Exactly. Well, no, it just has been for 75 years. Yeah. Whitlam actually spoke to John Kerr on the phone and laid out his intentions and planned to meet the Governor General for lunch. He drafted his letter advising John Kerr to call a Huff Senate election and basically all he needed was a few eyes dotted and T's crossed.

You didn't know how to do those things? No. Wow, these fancy schools. Yeah. Don't teach them the basics. And that would be hard because an undotted eye and an uncrossed T, they look pretty similar. Yeah. So how do you know which is which?

But, you know, all of these boys know dressage and that's important. Yeah. How to carry books on their heads. Yeah. Just use your hands, mates. You got hands. You put a backpack on. Jeez.

Put the bag of the back. Put the books in the backpack. Put the bus the baby. Put the baby. What Gough Whitlam didn't know is that the Governor General had called Malcolm Fraser and asked him to come over and meet him at Government House, which is an old stately home on 130 acres of grounds that the Governor General gets to live in. He had his staff make it very clear that Whitlam was to arrive first,

and then he would see Malcolm Fraser second. Whitlam was delayed, so when Malcolm Fraser arrived first, he was ushered into a room to wait. Oh, this is gross. Down the hall. This is real skullduggery. This is real dodgy stuff. Yes.

Then, Prime is... Jim Scullin-duggery. Oh, my God. Do you think his ghost was haunting those grounds that day? He would have been there. He would have been there. Then the Prime Minister Gough Whitlam arrived, having no idea that Malcolm Fraser was already there, like secretly in a room down the hall or whatever.

He later stated that he never would have gone in if he'd known that Fraser was there. Goff Whitlam met Governor General, John Kerr, in his study. Whitlam had his drafted letter calling for the half-Senate election in his pocket. As he reached to get it out, John Kerr produced his own letter and handed it over to Whitlam, the contents of which took him completely by surprise. He read that he, Goff Whitlam, was no longer the Prime Minister of Australia and that his whole government and all its ministers had been terminated. Whoa.

Killed? Yes. Whoa. You've been erased. For a man who always knew what to say, it was the greatest shock of his life. Wow. But he regained his composure. And said, you should have been aborted.

It worked last time. No, he regained his composure for this sick line. Kerr said to him, we all will have to live with this. And Whitlam said to him, you certainly will. Boom. Yeah, God save. Then Whitlam shook his hand partly out of habit, partly out of courtesy, and he left. And what he did next is a bit surprising.

He had lunch. We said lunch was scheduled. You got to eat. I came here expecting lunch. He just went to his own. residents and had a large stake. Okay. He didn't go tell all his colleagues what the heck had happened.

I guess he was stewing over what to do next, thinking of a plan of action. Meanwhile, after Whitlam left the study, John Kerr called in Malcolm Fraser and got him to sign the new paperwork that named him as the new prime minister, or technically, the new caretaker prime minister who would govern until a new election was held. Now, I need to stress for people overseas particularly. this had never happened before in the history of Australia. Yeah, that's a weird coup scenario. It's just crazy.

A prime minister with a majority in the lower house who still had the majority had just been fired. Which was a, you know, democratically elected. Yeah, and the opposition who had lost the last election were just handed the appointment. Just insane. And the day only got crazier from there. It later came out that John Kerr had sought legal advice from many people, many judges and lawyers to interpret the Constitution about whether he was allowed to fire the Prime Minister. One of the people he spoke to was Garfield Barwick, the man that Goff had made

cry by calling him a truculent runt. Yeah. And he's like, yeah, I reckon. Yeah, I reckon you should absolutely do that. So Barwick got his revenge. Wow. Amazing. Oh, man. That's so funny. Like, obviously he was, I'm guessing all the people he was talking to were probably liberal affiliated. Because otherwise, if you're like a neutral or maybe a goth fan, and someone asked that, you'd probably tip him off. You call him and say, hey, John Kerr's being a bit weird. So because he still had a majority in the lower house, Whitlam came out with a plan to pass a motion of confidence in himself and be restored as prime minister. Because usually if you're the leader of the party in the majority in the lower house, you get to be prime minister simply. He just had to

prove that I still have the majority. I still have the approval of this house. Simple. The problem was he didn't know that Malcolm Fraser had already, in a pretty sneaky way, been signed on as caretaker prime minister. So both houses, the House of Reps and the Senate sat at 2pm. Over in the Senate, no one had told any of the Labor senators what had happened. It's a bit of a joke that they are overlooked and they truly were on this day as they had no idea they were no longer in government. So, when the bill for supply that had been rejected for four straight weeks was again proposed this time, it passed in two minutes flat.

Everyone said, I vote, yep. The Labour senators were a bit surprised that the Liberals had come around and voted for it this time. Out of nowhere, what the Labor Senators hadn't realized was they weren't voting for their government to get supply. They were voting for the new Fraser government to get supply. They had no idea they'd just given the new Fraser government. and exactly what they needed.

That's so dodgy. Isn't that dodgy? Wow. I couldn't believe when I heard this bit. So dodgy. Sorry, what? So they thought that they were hiding. But that's in part because Goff hadn't told them?

Yeah. No one bothered to tell any of the senators. Including Goff. Also, no, Gough's not in the Senate. He's in the House of Reps. Yeah, but I think he's still allowed to like chat to people. Oh yeah. No, he hadn't bothered.

He hadn't thought of the Senate at all. Yeah. So it's a bit of an own goal from him, but also very dodgy. from the Liberal Party. He had to go home and have lunch. I don't understand why, what do you expect him to have done? He needed a big step.

It's all the same day. He had to have lunch. It's 2 o'clock. You're right. He's barely finished lunch yet. Is this, when does he do the famous quote? That's coming up.

Oh man, I love that quote. That's on this day. Well, may we. I'll get you there. I'm chomping at the bit. Champin? Chompin.

Chompin. I'm champing and chomping. And chomping. I'm always chomping. It's chumping, sorry, it's chumping. Chumping. So, over in the House of Reps, Gough Whitlam had his plan to pass a motion of confidence in himself. But before he was to speak, Malcolm Fraser spoke first.

And this was the first time that Whitlam realised that Malcolm Fraser was now the Prime Minister. He's like, what the heck? Yeah. So Whitlam... So Whitlam, he probably couldn't have warned him anyway because he didn't really realise what had fully happened. Is that right? Yes, but also, I think if he'd said to his people, I've just been fired. Yes, they might have been like, what's going on?

Why are the Liberals voting? Yes, they might have questioned it a bit more. True. They all just went, yep, hang on a second. This is so weird. So Whitlam stood to speak and he pivoted on the spot and addressed the speaker of the house. They're the politician who sits in the chair in the middle of the house and whose job is to oversee House debates, determine which members may speak and maintain order.

And they're usually from the government. From the government, that's right. And I think they usually abstain from voting unless it's a time. tie but um because they're they're basically meant to be neutral in that role yeah which obviously they aren't pretty but yeah it's a funny system pretty hard not to to be neutral that's right uh whitlam addressed the speaker who was gordon skulls and asked him to advise the governor general that he still had the confidence in the house of representatives and should be called to make a government this motion easily passed proving that whitlam still had a large majority in the parliament

So when it was adjourned at 315, the Speaker called the Governor General's office to make an appointment. But he was told that John Kerr was busy and then he'd have to wait to see him, despite how important amount of this is. It's like, one of the most important things a Governor General can do is... Well, if you're the Prime Minister, I'd see you right away, but who are you? Yeah. You're just someone that I used to know. Yeah, this is about forming a government. Yeah, he's busy, he's busy, he's busy.

Anyway, the Speaker waited over an hour as advised and then drove to government. House with a paperwork to sign that would make Goff Whitlam Prime Minister again. But when the Speaker Gordon Skolls got there, he found the gates to Government House locked and no one would let him in. So weird. Extremely controversially, Governor General John Kerr appeared to be stalling by refusing to see the Speaker of the House, who was locked outside for another hour. He didn't know that Malcolm Fraser had again arrived first and was inside Government House

signing more paperwork to dissolve the Parliament. and set a date for the election. How did Fraser recover from this? Yeah. When the Speaker's appointment actually arrived, because Parliament had been dissolved by this paperwork, he was no longer the Speaker. Huh.

So him advising the Governor General to appoint Goff, that can't happen anymore because Parliament has been dissolved. Malcolm Fraser had basically got the supply in the Senate. That's so dodgy. By tricking them a bit, then shut down Parliament immediately and then called an election. so it was all over for Goff who had no more cards to play.

Wow. That's wild. And things went wild in Canberra, our nation's capital, where the parliament sits. All this unfolded so fast that people had no idea what was going on. One minute politicians were in government, the next they were out. The media went into overdraft trying to keep up with the latest development and sought fact from fiction as rumours swirled through the halls of parliament. Just sort of tricked their way into government. without being elected in a democracy.

It's crazy. Hundreds of members of the general public converged on parliament, and for a time things were so uncertain that appeared things could get violent, even riotous, because the Labour supporters were pissed. These people, we voted for these people and now, you know, they've been fired. One guys decided to fire him. Then we get to the famous bit. In a throng of angry spectators and awaiting media,

the Governor-General Secretary David Smith stepped out onto the steps in front of what is now old Parliament House, what was then just Parliament House. He read a proclamation as a throng of microphones were pushed in front of him. And in a pretty weak voice that you can barely hear over the crowd

who are chanting, we want goff, we want goff. He read out that the Parliament had been dissolved and he signs off by saying the 11th of November 1975 by His Excellency's command Malcolm Fraser, Prime Minister, John R. Kerr, Governor-General, God save the Queen. Interesting to note that the year earlier, Gough Whitlam had ordered that proclamations no longer be signed off, God Save the Queen.

And as this guy, David Smith is speaking, the 6'5 Goff Whitlam appeared behind him, and then he took up the place in front of the microphones, and he uttered one of the most famous phrases in the history of our country. coolly calmly he announced to a now attentive crowd they've all gone silent to listen to him he says well may we say god save the queen because no one will save the governor general or something like that it's because nothing will save the governor general which is such a sick lie after the guys just said god save the queen yeah ladies and gentlemen well may we say god save the queen because nothing will save the governor general then there's a third thunderous cheer from the crowd. Because he's going to kill him?

Yeah. And Norman Gunston's holding a microphone there. They're a comedy character. That's so funny. He then said, The proclamation which you have just heard read by the Governor General's official secretary was countersigned Malcolm Fraser. Crowd booze.

Whitlam continues, who will undoubtedly go down in Australia's history from Remembrance Day 1975 as Kerr's Kerr, which is a very clever burn if, unlike me, you know that Kerr is an aggressive or unkempt dog, especially a mongrel. Oh, that's good. That's good. That's a good. That's a good bit of work, though. If you get it, that's very good.

That's really good. Another big cheer. What a big burn. So they all got it. That's interesting. Well, I think probably it was more common back then. Yes. I think because he said it the best ever. People just stop saying it after that.

Yeah. Oh, we say that? Well, that word's been nailed. Yeah. Time to move on. Mungrel is going to come back in now Or as Dave says, Mongrel And we're still waiting for mongrel to be

To be clocked Well, it is an M-O-N It sure is I'm not, I didn't I wasn't saying you were saying it right or wrong I was just saying that's how you say it My favourite other week is Monde Well I don't say Mongrel

I say Kerr Yeah, yeah He then added to his supporters They won't silence the outskirts of Parliament House even if the inside has been silenced for a few weeks. Maintain your rage and enthusiasm for the campaign for the election now to be held and until polling day.

I'll actually link to the audio on YouTube in the show notes if you want to hear the full thing. It's pretty awesome. He has a little smile before he starts speaking to. Like, he knows. Yeah, he's like, I've got a sick line. This is it. So an election was called for December 13 that year.

A bit over a month later, Whitlam began campaigning almost immediately after the dismissal and he was met with huge crowds wherever he went, 30,000 people overspilled the Sydney domain for the official campaign launch on November 24th. That evening, Whitlam made a major speech at Festival Hall in Melbourne before 7,500 people and a national TV audience calling 11th of November, Fraser's Day of Shame, a day that will live in infamy. It is, because he, I mean, you'll probably get to it, so I won't. Yeah. The next sentence? What? Oh, yeah, maybe.

Or just the fact that Fraser perhaps rises to the highest office at a later date. It seems wild that he recovered from this. Well, and not just recovered, he thrived on election date. It was a disaster for the Labour Party who lost badly. The Liberal Coalition won a record victory with 91 seats in the House of Representatives to Labor's 36. Wow. So Labor had lost 30 seats. It's almost half of...

Incredible. Half of their previous majority. It was like maybe the public didn't fully understand what had happened. Yeah. Like how strange and diabolical. Sneaky. Curs Kerr had been. And in the Senate, the Liberals expanded their majority to 35-27.

So, yeah, they crushed it. So for the final bit, what happened to those guys afterwards? So Goff Whitlam stayed on as Labour leader, but again, his party lost to a Malcolm Fraser led coalition the next election. Whitlam then retired, but remained a legend of the Labour Party and a political force well into his 90s. Fraser ended up being Prime Minister for eight years, travelling widely as leader and boosting multiculturalism,

establishing SBS. He started that. The special broadcast service, the TV channel and media network. It's amazing to think what the modern Liberal Party came, where they're sort of like, I don't think they're even hiding it that much that they would be pretty happy to get privatise,

SBS and ABC. And probably stop multiculturalism. Yeah. Well, yeah, that's, yeah. I mean, like, back to John Howard, it's sort of been that way, hasn't it? He started seeing that as a way to rile up certain pockets of Australia. Yeah. They did get rid of guns. Yes. So, that was good. That was pretty good. That was good. They also established under Fraser the Family Court of Australia, and they gave Northern Territory self-government rights. He retired from politics in 1983 after losing the election, a Labour Party led by Bob Hawke. He resigned his membership of the Liberal Party in 2009 after the election of Tony Abbott's leader, having been, what Matt's been saying,

a critic of the Liberals' policy direction for a number of years. So, as for the Governor General, Curse Kerr, John Kerr, well, knock on phrase was curse Kerr, but the... Please, he's his own Kerr. Yeah, he's only good. Kurt was my father.

He retired early from his post of Governor General in December 1977 and then withdrew from public life. A significant factor was the ire he continued to receive from Whitlam supporters. He was basically booed and hated everywhere he went. He's generally looked down upon for the whole saga. The Australian Dictionary of Biography writes, Kerr's failure to warn Whitlam about the options he was considering was contrary to the widely understood role of a governor general of, quote, right to be consulted to encourage and to warn an elected government. Hmm.

So over the years, people are a bit like, he did a dodgy. Yeah. That's what a lot of, most people seem to think. Just morally. Yeah. But Fraser, you know, he was just, it was just on politics. Oh, it wasn't Fraser's fault that he kept turning up early. He's like, oh, sorry for being punctual.

He, I wouldn't, sorry I didn't stop him a steak dinner on the way to. Surely he was a little torn. He must have felt like, this is an ethical. Yeah. But probably in the end, he would have been like, well, it worked for me. And I had a successful run as a prime minister. And I guess you'd be like, I got a huge mandate by it. Like, you know, if they'd call the election and they've lost badly, you'd be like,

oh, okay, maybe the people didn't want this, but they smashed it. Yeah. And I really, yeah, I think Goff probably would have had some reason to feel like they would get back in. but yeah such a strange page thinking that because there was such rage particularly in the Labour fan base

there's been conspiracies over the years about who knew about the dismissal who was involved does it go all the way to the top oh it didn't

because that's got foot long yeah and he did not know John Kerr remember he thought he was at it did go over the way it actually started all the way at the top

and went down a bit it didn't really go very far people have speculated that maybe the CIA were involved what they might have had their finger in the pies

they didn't like Goff, because of the previous stuff about the raids. Also, they wanted to extend, there was a military base. Oh, yeah, right. That they wanted to sign on for that he was maybe threatening to not let them continue to operate in the center of Australia. Pine Gap? Pine Gap. And everyone a big Mac.

No one goes out back, that's that. So true. There's got to be Tism. Peter Garrett, that's, I mean, not all. Just felt like it had the rhythm of a, of a tism. Others said, the Queen and Prince Charles must have known, which might sound fanciful until what are called the palace letters, which are a series of letters between John Kerr and the Queen's private secretary,

Martin Charteris, were finally made public in 2020. They were held in the National Archives of Australia, who refused to let anyone see them as they were deemed personal, until Professor Jenny Hocking took them out all the way to the High Court, after which a million-dollar case decided that they should be released. Good to have taxpayer money thrown at that. Yeah, great. In Professor Hawking's book, she wrote a book about it.

The palace letters, she cites a key letter from Charteris, the Queen's secretary on the 2nd of October 1975, which shows, quote, The Queen, Prince Charles, and Martin Charteris were all aware by September 1975 that Kerr was considering dismissing the government and knew of his failure to warn Whitlam of that possibility. The letters revealed that Kerr had discussed the prospect of dismissing the government with Prince Charles and the Queen. So they probably knew, despite these revelations, the palace itself continues to deny that they played any part in the decision.

They're a bit like, we're happy to be informed, but we don't say one way or the other what to do. They still try and say. But they did, yeah, they are like the guy who got kicked out as the guy got rid of God Save the Queen. from speeches also got rid of the sirs and dames and a few other things. So I'm sure they weren't shattered with it going back to the liberal party. The correct ways? Yeah. The adults are back in charge.

John Kerr died in 1991, age 76. What did he say when he got drunk? Do you talk about that? Oh, no, I don't have any quotes from it, but I just know that he wasn't. Yeah, I know the Melbourne Cup, visibly drunk on the microphone. I'll find out. You keep going. I will say, I did breathe that his family waited until he had already been buried before announcing his death.

Oh. Because usually, if your ex-governor generals will be offered a state funeral. Yeah. Like pretty automatically, but though I think I were a bit concerned that because he was so unpopular that the government would be like, we're not giving that guy a state funeral and it would be quite embarrassing for the family and his legacy. So they wait until, oh, don't worry about, don't even consider a state funeral. We've already buried. Yeah, we didn't want one anyway. Yeah, we would have said no. Yeah, in case, in case the government said, nah. Imagine. So that's pretty

imagine. Yeah, like, well, he was hated, so. Yeah. We think you're going to say no. Wow. And just finally, despite these wild events and being sworn enemies, Gough Whitlam and Malcolm and Fraser did make up in their later years and even became friends, the two campaigned together in support of the 1999 Australian public referendum, sorry, the Australian Republic referendum, where the country voted whether we would stay with the monarchy or not. They were pro getting rid of the monarchy. Yep. Which, of course, didn't pass and we still have... Was it close? I think, don't think that close. Matt's a... Matt, you're alive. You're a history of the Republic referendum.

Was it like only 40% voted for getting rid of or something? It was 40 something, but no state. It has to be a majority of states as well as the majority. And no, I think Victoria was like 48. Right. Yeah, okay. And I can, I mean, the ACT, which isn't a state, obviously. I think that maybe was the only one that had a majority from memory.

I'm just going to overall 54.87% voted no. So like it's close. Yeah, yeah. But I mean, that's sort of. of like most elections will have a two-party preferred of something like that. Yeah. But that would be seen as a big win. Yeah. Even though I think everyone forgets that, that it's like, well, still like nearly half the country is unhappy with this result. Yeah, yeah. Interesting.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. And when Gough Whitlam died in October 2014, aged 98, Malcolm Fraser said of his old enemy, he's going to be remembered as a giant of an Australian who contributed, said he's going to be remembered as a giant of an Australian who contributed enormously to Australian life in so many ways. Malcolm Fraser himself died just five months later, aged 84. That's how I want you and I to go. I want to go first. And I want you to die a broken heart. And your wife to be like, what the fuck, Dave? What the heck? Do you want me to stick around long enough to give like a nice quote about you like that? Please. You're going to be a giant of an Australian.

teeny tiny. The tiniest of China ever met. She was a waif of an Australian. So that's the story of the 1975 constitutional crisis. Australia's most outrageous political events so far in history. I have to give a shout out to the fantastic ABC podcast, the 11th made in 2020, presented by Alex Mann. It's a seven-part series that interviews loads of people

and gives a real sense of what was going on during this turbulent time in and around the crisis. So that's a hard. I recommend. Awesome. I've got the John Kerr drunk. I don't remember even watching this. I've just heard about it.

Do you want to hear it? This goes for a bit over a minute. Bart Cummings is in the background. Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, any little noises that you may happen to hear are only static. It's just something wrong with the sister.

I want you to understand and I know that you will that the minor noises do not destroy the marvellous occasion today is for me and for my wife it is the fourth Melbourne Cup that I will have presented and I have come down with my

wife uh with the approval of his royal highness who's having arrest up there in government house to do just this thing because he wanted me to and i wanted to and i wanted to do it i wanted to do it because uh this is a great australian The lie is one of all But I didn't know When I came That an old mate of mine Would turn out to be the owner

Or one of the honors Of the winner So My task is first of all To congratulate the owners Goff's in the car I don't know My God damn

Let me get up there I've got crushing from this crayon That's really funny A bit of fun So yeah I think I I pictured it would be even loose to that, but he was clearly pissed, which I think is not okay. If you're all going to talk into a microphone, I certainly never would do that.

You've only ever done that stoke-old sober. Yes. If I see a microphone, you better believe that I have not drunk a drip of alcohol. A drip, not a drip, not a drip. Not a drip, not a drip. And I have no shame in telling you that. Um, if you hear it, but if you do hear any static, that's just, it's a problem with the system. He was trying to have a little quip there about the booze, but it's, but it came across.

It was a bit laboured. Yeah, like, oh, a few cheers from the minority. Some people like, we shut the fuck up. I'll be back next year as a spike tie-up. Oh, we know for me, more wolf. He fully wound up for that. Oh, no. And, or the cartoonist pen.

Oh. Nothing more brutal in Australian politics and being ribbed by Mark Knight or... Yeah. One of the other. One of the others. That guy died a few years ago. Lunig. Oh, Loonig.

One of the other guy died a few years ago. His name was like Piss or something. Oh. That probably wasn't Piss. Tony Piss? Oh, Tony Piss. God. Piss with a pen.

Tony Piss. That would be a great parody political cartoonist name. Tony Piss. Oh, another T Piss classic. Oh, there it is. That's the report. A bit of a longer one, but... Well done, D-Dub.

Thank you for finally filling me in on what happened with God. What happened? A lot happened, and it was even dodgyer than I ever even knew. Yeah, it just feels very speaking. You know what? I can see where my brain was going. Bill Leak. Not piss leak

Yeah, that was great Dave Great Dave It's like great Dave And Dave What do you think about thanking some of our great Patreon supporters now I'm excited to think of some hats The first thing we like to

And I should say once again If you want to be involved in this section of the show It's where we thank our great supporters Who have signed up at Slash Do Go On Pod And if you go back a bit it Patreon.com. That's the bit before the slash

or the leak or the piss. And the first thing we like to do is thank a few of our great Patreon supporters with the section that you can be involved in. Am I sounding a bit like an ex-governor general? Yeah, gosh.

How do you come back to get my words out? This section is the show. Sydney-Schenberg level supporters or above get to give us a factor a quote or a question in this section, which has a jingle actually, goes something like this. Fact quote or question. Bing!

Always remembers the ding. She always remembers the sing. And in this section, yes, I read out a few. I'm going to read out three today, I reckon. And they get to give us a fact, quote, a question, or brag or suggestion, or really, whatever they like. And they also get to give themselves a title. And the first one this week, I just hiccup then to complete the character.

It comes from Sophie Tudor. I've, it's shooter or tutor. I can't believe I've got, but I, Dave, you get in my head so much about the pronunciation of Sophie's name. It's because I'm in my head too. Sorry. I think it's a tutor. I think it's pronounced as it's written. Okay.

Uh, for I hope so. So Sophie, aka group mom, has a brag writing. I had a baby. Congratulations. Woo! Very excited. So excited. Um, already, Sophie already announced that in, uh, the Facebook group for patrons.

It's beautiful. Uh, that's another one of the many bonuses you get. If you sign up on any level, you get to be in the Facebook group. But yeah, there's also bonus episodes. It would be four per month. Uh, you get to vote on topics. Uh, you get the, you were the first to hear about, uh, our Australian tour or our Australasian tour. That's right.

Which I assume has been publicly announced by now. Absolutely. It is out there. Please. It was a pre-sale and early announcement. and discount for patrons, and some of the shows are already, and we at the time of recording, haven't announced it publicly, are over 50% sold out. So it pays. I mean, it basically pays for itself. Exactly.

Sophie, so stoked. Yeah, and if you sign up and you get in the Facebook group, you can see a photo of Sophie's baby. That's a weird bonus. I don't, I feel bad about that. Take that back. Thank you so much, Sophie. And congratulations. Can't wait to maybe meet the baby when I'm over in September. Congratulations. I did see in the Facebook group that Saraj, also a fantastic patron supporter, has already met the baby. Yeah, of course he is. So, yeah, so that was honestly beautiful news.

I actually went, wow, out loud when I saw that post, so congratulations. The next one comes from Matthew Whittingham, aka official holder of titles that haven't quite fit the format before this point. and Matthew's offering a fact writing I was listening to episode 134 Agrippina the Younger You know sometimes we talk about are there any episodes that aren't very good And the only one I ever think about is was episode 50 or something And it was about I can't remember but it was but me and Dave just were we were off that day What was that report? Helen Keller

But also Agrippina the Younger that's the other one. I reckon wasn't the best because I just remember not being able to explain the story very well and there were so many big names I do remember the names I could see you to your eyes were glazing over

I'm like I've not done a good job of this it's always a good feeling when you look around you go oh boy I'm losing up I'm losing them I'm losing them here's a fart jack They're yawning they're on their laptops

oh god Oh no no they're watching YouTube Oh god she's ordered an Uber So And she drove I just want to get away Anyway, this fact is about that episode, 134, Agrippina the Younger.

Matthew says he was, listen to that, and that's when we all started discussing having a place or city named after us, which I guess is where the Gary Indiana thing started, maybe. I don't know. This reminded me that there's a place in New South Wales with my name, Whittingham. About 70Ks northwest of Newcastle, it has a population of 364, a couple of heritage listed sites, an abattoir, and a separate. cemetery. It's pretty small. I estimate it takes longer to say the name than to drive through, but there's a big sign that says Whittingham as you enter, and if that ever goes missing, it had nothing to do with me. Fair enough. I also looked into places that share a name with the three of you. Oh, thank God for doing it for me. Thank you. There are a number of Stuarts around

the world, including New Zealand's Stewart Island slash Rukiaira, Stuart Indiana. Oh my God. Is that anywhere near Gary? Oh my gosh. And the Stuart Crater on the moon. Wow. You're on the moon? I'm on the moon. That's awesome.

Did you know that? No. I think I'd heard of Stuart Island in New Zealand. There are multiple places named Perkins in the United States, such as Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma and West Virginia. And in Antarctica, there's Perkins Glacier, Perkins Canyon, and Mount Perkins. Wow. That's cool.

Mount Perkins. No, thank you. Sadly, there doesn't appear to be any place. places named Warnacki, yet. But there is a town called Dave in Belgium. Oh. Ah. Did you accept that?

Dave. Yeah, I'd live there. Okay. Yeah, you could speak the language of Poirot. Yeah. French. It depends what part of Belgium is, doesn't it? Well, I mean, you could speak French wherever you wanted to speak French.

You could speak French right now. Yeah. Doesn't matter what part of Belgium you're in, mate. Oh, sure, sure. People can speak languages wherever they want to speak languages. This is the other language, Flemish? Yeah, a bit of Flemish going on there. Which is obviously the language of ex-Australian fast bowler, Damien Fleming.

That's mainly sledging. He signs off by saying, I'll be starting a petition for these places to be included on the next world tour. I think that's a noble cause. Yeah, that's fair. I see you and Dave. We should go to Antarctica. And finally this week from Jacqueline Chaiton, aka executive vice president, of muttering, where the heck of my keys, glasses, headphones, phone, while tearing apart my

house, only to find them in the place, I always leave them. All right, and Jacqueline has a question writing, hello, Matt, Jess, and or Dave, smiley face. Hopefully all three of you are on this episode. We are. This is being recorded. Present. A bit of a preamble to my question. I do webinars slash live trainings for my job, and I often do multiple a day.

Most are about an hour long. I also have been doing recordings of our client-facing webinars for our help center, and these often take longer. My throat always hurts at the beginning because I don't know any good vocal warm-ups. My question to you is, do you have any vocal warm-ups that you do before recording? No. Absolutely none. We should do me, me-my-mo, me-mo-my-me-me, I mean sing-off key.

Just for fun, not really for warm-up, but just for fun. Jaunting them, jabbing him, shing enough key. I feel like maybe sometimes I'll Not for the pod But like if I'm doing singing Yeah If I'm going to hit a Cut a hit new record

I might just a bit of a Oh yeah Yeah Red leather yellow yellows leather Unique New York Unique New York Sorry Matt I'm not familiar with that one

Red Gellogalletzer Anthony Albanyzy Anthony Albanyzie It's a political episode That was so funny That was so funny, Dave. Jesus. That was really good.

I'm not. No, don't try to do it. To answer, my question, I've won from when I was in my synagogue's youth choir as a kid. We would do scales using the phrase, Mommy made me mash my M&Ms, oh no. And then jump up a scale. Doesn't work as well for talking, though. Looking forward to when you guys eventually do.

come to Canada. But until then, ta-ta and farewell. Ta-ta. That is a good vocal warm-up. It's just doing that guy's speech during the Suckland Chinese music. Yeah, yeah.

I see you know your judo well. That's good, yeah. Massaging the vocal cords. There was a period of time where I would do vocal warm-ups while driving to the studio because I would get a really sore throat and my voice would just really dry out.

And then it turned out. I just need to say I got into histamines. Oh. It was seasonal. It was the histamines that were getting, yeah. Yeah. I got no problem with histamines. In this studio, you know what I mean?

I do know what you mean. Canada, what do we reckon next year? 2026, the year of Canada? Yeah. I like to commit to things and then someone reminds me later that it didn't happen. Well, they're listening in 2030. Yeah. Hey, you didn't come here.

I mean, I think we are like genuinely hoping for 2026 Canada. Apparently, other parts of North America are a little less welcoming to outsiders at the moment. But Canada still sounds like they're up for having a few dorks come along from Australia. You're going to get the dork visa. The next thing we like to do is shout out to a few of our other great supporters. Jess normally comes up with a game for this part. Guys, guys, you'll never believe it. What are you going to do?

What? I've found a funky hat generator. No! Yeah. What is this possible? There's a funky hat generator. That can't be true. But I found one and I've already got a hat ready. I'm so excited.

So everybody's getting an interesting hat. I do not understand. What do you mean? A funk, why would that exist? It explained what it was for. It's just for, you know, if you need stories, they also do a dress generator, a nifty shoe generator, snazzy eyeglasses generator. This has got, this can do it all.

Yes. Um, well So I'm ready with the hats If you guys want to read some names Dave, do you want to do Do the first stuff I'll do the second half I'd love to kick off

First of all I would like to thank from My goodness Oh my God I didn't even realize Thank you for this handball I did, shut up I didn't but I'm glad I did This is a place in Sweden

Skeletia I mean there's an A with a symbol above It I've never seen before That's a, it's a circle. Dave, you've never seen a circle before? It's okay. You haven't graduated from triangles.

Yeah. Triangle. This is an AI over you pronunciation. Shelleftio. Sheleftoe. I'm happy with that. I'm happy with that. Thank you so much too.

And I really appreciate your support all over from Sweden. Jonas. Kar shall I. Oh, my God. I think you're naming it. Kaj. Oh, here you go. Jonas.

Carjelainen What is now, does that sound accurate? Are you laughing at me or the hat? You, I was laughing at you. The hat's amazing. Yeah, great. I was, no, I was just laughing at you losing confidence halfway through a word. Carjana, that was funny.

Jonas Cargillitan. Jonas is wearing a tricorn. Oh, yeah? It's light blue and it's got black feathers on it. Oh, that's cool. And I'd like to think that it is also just like, like advertising for the corn industry, you know? It's like they've done it like a double meaning on it there.

Oh. But it's like a try corn. Oh, that's nice. Yeah. Have you ever thought about trying corn? Have you ever thought about trying blue corn? Give it a go. Yes, worth a try.

Go on. Thank you, Jonas. And I can only imagine you rocking that in Sweden. Thank you. Next I would like to thank someone who is not provided their location to us. So we don't know where they're from. But I can only assume they're deep within the fortress of them. I was right now, and thank you to nerd with faith.

Nerd with faith. Got to have faith. That's nice. As the great man once said. Great man. Did he say you got to have faith? Yeah. But you got to have faith, the faith, the faith.

And when I, because I said the great man, I meant Fred Durst and his cover of that song. Yeah. Now, Funky Hat Generator gives descriptions of the... Okay. So it says, this cadet cap is woven from white, dark grey and vivid blue straw. Oh, but died straw. I didn't you could do that. I know.

Crazy. Wow, nerd with faith. What about nerd with style? Enjoy your cadet cap. Thank you. NWF. Appreciate you. Next up, another Fortunes the Mole Dweller potentially.

Thank you to Sol Edwards. Sol Edwards is wearing a military style hat made from zigzag striped fabric designed in magenta, vivid orange, vivid turquoise, and black. It is accented with dark purple feathers. Oh, wow, that really... That's an interesting hat. And I think it's advertising zig-zag cheese, which is Roy Nates, she's made-up cheese brand sponsor,

which is one of their bits that is like so long and ongoing that I don't really get, but I love. With the, thanks, so zig-zac cheese. Thanks, Saul, Edwards. And finally, for me, maybe I'd like to thank from AILD. In Great Britain, it's Kitty Wilcox. Kitty's wearing a flapper hat. Oh, yeah, cool, that's cool.

Knitted with vivid orange and vivid purple yarn. Well, I think... Orange and purple's a great combo. It's a great combo. It's always vivid. Which is fine. So far, yes. So far, it's vivid.

The colours are never dull from... A dull orange. Funky hats. I don't know, yeah. There's a funky hat. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right. It almost goes to that saying. It can't be like, it's a navy blue baseball cap.

Like, that's not funky. No. They must be vivid colors. It's plain white. Correct. Yes. Will we ever be funky again? It's something that Custard once asked in song.

Makes you think. Are we up to me? Yeah. I think so. Where are we up to? We up to Atlanta? Atlanta. Oh, my goodness.

From Atlanta, the toilet is ruined H.C. Once dubbed it. Oh, I don't agree with that. In Georgia in the United States. Thank you and welcome to this section of the show, Kevin Traynor. Kevin's wearing a Luella hat. I don't know what that is, but it's woven from white straw. You like this, Dave.

It is accented with a spray of fabric flowers. Oh, my God. A spray. A spray on flowers. No, I think more like a smattering. Oh, yeah. A spray. A bit of flowery language.

Because at first I was like, spray on flowers? But I think it means more like a smattering. I like that a lot. Yeah. Kevin Traynor, you're looking sharp. Next up from Address. I know, can only assume deep within the fortress of the moles. Thank you to Ella Dunkley.

Ella is wearing a beanie made from grey leather. That's awesome. That's funky. That's a funky. That's a leather beanie. Someone's cut up a couch. Yeah. Ella, have you been worried that your head's not sweating enough?

Have we got the solution for you? Seems like an interesting choice. That's a great one. Also from, I assume, deep within the fortress of the miles due to the fact that their address is unknown, thank you to Steve Wildsmith. Steve's wearing a pillbox hat knitted from light purple yarns. That's light, not vivid. Oh, that's good. Yeah, yeah.

It's accented with a silver buckle. Oh. Some purple's buckle and a hat, that's awesome. That's fun. We don't know where he's from, but if he is a pilgrim heading. to America on the Mayflower, I think you're going to fit right in. That were the ones who had the buckles on their heads, right? Yes.

I don't know if that were pillbox hats, though, probably. But you could start a new trend with the pilgrims. Yes, pillbox pilgrims. Now that's catchy. Who else have we got? Great question. And I'll answer this one. It is a person from Berwick here in Victoria, probably near Barry Burke from Berwick, the car yard.

Yeah. It's Laura Richards. Laura's wearing a boater hat made from vivid blue. Good. I like a boater hat. And white zebra stripes. So it's blue and white zebra. I like it.

And it's accented with coordinating feathers. Oh. What are they coordinating with? Unsure. How many, like, they obviously have to give their algorithm, their little back end thing here, a list of possible elements. Types of hat. And I reckon one of them.

is vivid. Yes. One of them is light. I reckon they've given two like adjectives. Yep. And feathers is big. Yeah, feathers is big. We've seen a buckle once.

You'll never guess what the next one has. All right. Two buckles, I'm hoping. From Birmingham in Great Britain. And sorry for your, this is probably out of date by the time I mention it. Sorry if you're lost in Ozzy Osbourne, your town's favourite son. I'm going to come to console you in person on my tour in September. So hopefully see you.

there, Ruby Lewis. Ruby's wearing a beanie made from light pink and white cheetah spots. Oh. And it's accented. We've had buckles. We've had feathers. This one has a coordinating band. Oh, coordinating.

Oh, I like a band. That's pretty vague a band. Yeah. But it's coordinating. Yeah. So it's whatever you need to be. It could be a lack a band. Lack a band.

Well, no, this one doesn't lack a band, doesn't it? It has a band. This hat has a band. I made that quite clear. Thank you so much to Ruby, Laura, Steve, Alec, Kevin, Kitty, soul nerd and Jonas. Nerd. Soul nerd does sound great. That means we've just got one thing left to do, and that is to welcome some people.

There's Triptage Club. We've got four inductees this week. This is the section of the show where we welcome in people who've been on the shoutout level or above for three straight years, and they get inducted into it. What Dave describes is our Hall of Fame. Yeah, come on in. It's theater of the mind. It's whatever you want it to be. To me, it's like an old Vegas lounge with velvet everywhere and Frank Sinatra singing sort of thing.

For Jess, it's like a really deluxe airport lounge. To Dave, it's like a hole in the ground. I can't remember what it is to Dave. Like a gentleman's club. Like a gentleman's club. But nice. But I imagine it's got big windows and you can see the planes outside. Like, that's what I'm imagining.

Oh, right. Okay, right. And yeah, each week, Jess is behind the bar. This is The Theory of the Mind stuff. She's pouring up cocktails normally named after the topic. What's the Gough Whitlam cocktail this week? I have managed to put loneliness in a glass. Oh, okay.

Because of the Whitlam's. Oh, yeah. There's no, actually like lonely. You're never going to buy a five books from the first. Truth, beauty and a picture of you. I think you could make a cocktail where you take a popular vogue. vote on what ingredients to put in there, and then tip those out and just put in whatever you want. That's quite clever, but I'm in charge of the bar, so fuck you. We also have meat pies

and I, you can B.Y.O. Knives and Forks. And Dave, uh, books a band for the after party. Oh, you're never going to believe who are booked this week. And they've just confirmed, looking at it now, uh, this week we've got Eskimo Joe. Eskimo Joe. Eskimo Joe, just R-Sviped. Thank you so much. Great to have some Ozzy music back in the club. So you've had to zigzag there, a little bit of zigzag. I'm sorry. They're ruined everything. No, that's fine, no, I just want to draw great.

They're going to play the songs of the Whitlams or? Yeah, they're going to do one. I think they, didn't the Whitlams even have a song called Goff, I reckon? Yeah. So maybe they'll cover that. You'll cover Goff. So, four inductees this week. I'm standing on the door.

Theodore of the mine. I'm going to lift up that velvet rope. If you hear your name, jog on in, Dave's up on stage. He's talking there's like a thousand. an odd people in the club already, because once you arrive, you can never leave. And why would you want to it's Paradise on Earth and, or at least in your mind? Because you're dead. And, well, yeah, I think that is canon now.

But Dave, you're ready to hype him up? Absolutely. Get the crowd chanting along to their name. Jess is going to hop up, Dave, because he's in this little section of the show, his character is long confidence, which is definitely playing against type. Anyway, four people being inductive. in this week We've got

From Address Unknown can only shoot from deep within the fortress of the moles Welcome to the club

Benjamin Humpidge Look I hate hump day but one thing I do love is humpage Yeah

I live to Hump Edge From Frome or Frum in great Britain Welcome in

Alex Whitehead You want to Pop him Pop in Pop in Alex Whitehead Thank you so much to save you there. Woo!

From Fremantle in Western Australia, welcome in Spencer Parks. More like Spencer Sparks are flying when you're here. And finally, from Doha in Qatar, welcome in Fahad Al-Tani. Slamming the guitar. Oh, yeah, it's Fahard Al-Pani. Yeah, that's good stuff. Rocking out. Rock out.

Welcome in Fahad, Spencer, Alex and Benjamin. Please make yourselves at home. Hey, why not grab one of those lonely drinks? It's really, you'll feel so melancholic. A lonely island iced tea, perhaps. And get ready to enjoy a bit of Eskimojo, maybe playing some of the hits of the Whitlam's. He's coming for everyone's job. Yeah, I think I could do this.

He's a one-man pie. I'd like to see you try. Did I say thank you and welcome Far Hard. Yes. Spencer, Alex and Benjamin. Yeah, you could do this yourself, absolutely. Yeah, yeah. Don't everyone's job except for your own.

Yeah. No, that's right. With the mind of a goldfish, imagine how non-teadious that would be. You take over, you wrap this show up. Well, Jess, okay, me. Do we have anything else to tell me? Yes.

You can find our website with links for everything. Do go on pod.com. Including our live shows. Live shows through Australasia. First shows in Hobart, first shows in New Zealand. You've also probably got details to my. tour, if not there, on Matt Stewartcombe.com in Australia and the UK coming up, including a few first-time destinations in Cambridge and Swansea Wales.

And it's a double-banger. You're doing stand-up and also who knew it. That's right. Fantastic. What great value, Anne. That's good value. The guest list that's been put together is blowing my mind. I'll tell you that.

King Charles? King Charles. Oh, is that a nickname? Yes. The dog. That's a comedian. And also, Dave. We probably might have mentioned this earlier,

but our specials are out on the Humdinger channel. That's right. You can watch our stand-up comedy specials. Maybe you're somewhere that we're not touring over the next six months. Fear not, you can watch us live for free. That's true. And even if you watch mine, the one I'm touring is a whole different hour anyway. You can watch them both.

That's right. Okay, well, Dave, I wouldn't normally say boot this baby home, but I guess I'll be doing it. Thanks so much for tuning in this week. To-Dugo on, and I will say, Goodbye. We'll see you next week. Later's. Bye.

God, he's good. That's almost too easy. Thank you for your patience. Your call is important. Can't take being on hold anymore. Fizz is 100% online, so you can make the switch in minutes. Mobile plans start at $15 a month. Certain conditions apply.

Details at Fizz.C. A-Cast powers the world's best podcasts. Here's the show that we recommend. I'm Jesse Kirkshank, and on my podcast, Phone a Friend. I break down the biggest stories in pop culture, but when I have questions, I get to phone a friend. I phone my old friend, Dan Levy. You will not die hosting the Hills after show.

I get thirsty for the hot wiggle. I didn't even know a thirsty man until there was all these headlines. And I get schooled by a tween. Facebook is like a nose. That's what my grandma's on. Thank God. Phone a Friend with Jesse Crookshank is not available on Facebook. It's out now wherever you get your podcast.

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