Whitlam's key reforms and failings

WHITLAM'S KEY REFORMS:

• Abolished military conscription

• Recognised communist China and reopened the Australian Embassy in Peking for first time in 24 years

• Established national health scheme, paving the way for Medicare

• Brought in free university education

• Returned traditional Aboriginal lands to the Gurindiji people in the Northern Territory

• Empowered indigenous people to reclaim land rights by starting the Aboriginal Lands Commission and drafting the Land Rights Act

• Reduced the voting age from 21 to 18

• Introduced Legal Aid for those unable to afford proper representation

• Abolished the death penalty for federal crimes

• Introduced no-fault divorces

WHITLAM'S KEY FAILURES:

• Economy worsened during his government

• Inflation rose to 13 per cent

• Unemployment rose to five per cent

• The Loans Affair - Whitlam authorised Minerals and Energy Minister Rex Connor to borrow $4 billion in petrodollars via Pakistani broker Tirath Khemlani despite treasury opposition. The money never came through

• Misread Governor-General Sir John Kerr, whom he had appointed, during the supply crisis that led to his dismissal

• Lost 1975 election by the biggest majority in Australian history

• Lost 1977 election after only achieving a 1.1 per cent swing