The Dismissal

One of the fitting things with this series is the narration, which introduces it: "This isn't going to be easy." It's not an easy ride for anyone who remembers it. Mention of these events can still start screaming matches in any Aussie pub. That's the second reason to see it.

The first reason to see it is the stunning portrayal of Gough Whitlam by the late Max Phipps - one of Australia's greatest actors.

This is a superbly acted miniseries that covers the 1975 Australian Constitutional Crisis.

After a series of scandals that engulfed the Australian Labor Party government of the early 1970's, the House of Representatives representing the people numerically and the Senate representing the people of each state went to political war over the budget! With each house controlled by opposing parties and the government running out of money, the Senate demanded that Prime Minister Whitlam call a general election to solve the deadlock. Whitlam refused stating the long accepted convention that as long as his government had the confidence of the Lower House of Parliament, he could stay in office. It was at this point that the long thought irrelevant institution of the Crown, represented by Governor General John Kerr got involved to remind the politicians, and the people that elected them, where power truly resides in the Westminster System.

How this crisis was resolved should not only be of interest to Australians but also to the citizens of other Commonwealth countries, especially Canada and the UK, with their bicameral (yet unelected) Upper Houses. Even Americans, with their elected bicameral Congress, will find some parallels!

This really is a story that should be more well known to those interested in political science and history around the world! Highly recommended!

A sensitive, well-researched reconstruction of a critical event in Australia's political evolution. An excellent cast rising to the challenge of playing the giants of Australian political life. I was 26 in 1975 and watching the series 25 years later brought back all the feelings of disbelief and bewilderment I experienced at the time. Wonderful television.

First rate telling, all the way, of the sacking of tough nut Gough Whitlam who wouldn't go down without a fight, magnificently portrayed by Phipps, but yet again, every actor is at their acting peak in this. This double cassette pic has you right in from the start and doesn't let go. We also have some awesome stock footage. I honestly couldn't believe how this movie got in. I had politics, which as one shock jock, refers to it, as "A dirty rotting stinking game". That's exactly what it is, in a nutshell. Just watch this. Whitlam's defiance not to be taken down, I found inspiring, in such a detailed account of this great film, beautifully and periodically shot, it's soundtrack unforgettable, with first class performances to boot, the acting cream of the crop, just like this movie's the cream of the crop of other Aussie pics. A must watch. No excuses.

After traveling around the world, it dawned on me that Australia really lacks one thing that other countries have: history.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Australia wasn't establish following a war, it has not had a civil war and most of its political history is rather..... boring! Nothing "big" happened to mark some sort of turning point in Australia's history.... until the dismissal of the Whitlam government by the Governor-general of Australia - John Kerr.

For those outside Australia who may not know, we are constitutional monarchy - we have our own constitution, but retain reigning British Monach as the head of state. The Queen is represented in Australia by her "Govenor-General" though the role is somewhat regarded as a bit of a "rubber stamp" role. Theoretically, the Governor-general can refuse to sign a law passed by Australian parliament if (s)he thinks fit, though the power isn't exercised by convention. Now the events of 1975 - covered in this film - gave rise to a precedent on this particular section: if the governor-general is somehow 'displeased' with the government and/or Prime Minister, it would appear that section 64 of the Australian Constitution allows him to lawfully sack the government (which happened in 1975... hence the title of the film "the dismissal.")

Now that this background aspect is out of the way, let's get back to discussing the film. It was well made. The pace was patient, but didn't drag at all. The drama was well contained and very realistic. It didn't over-dramatise the events and most importantly, it did not present its point of view from one political perspective. On the contrary, I felt that it was fair and balanced, even though concluding text before the credits indicates that the film-makers probably didn't approve of the Governor-general's decision to dismiss the Whitlam government. But I wouldn't describe the film overall as bias in one direction or the other.

In terms of accuracy, it was virtually spot on. The film-makers certainly did their homework and evidently read the books and writings from all the principle players concerned. There were a number of finer details that were somewhat skipped over, largely because they took a long time to explain and ultimately had little impact on the events of 1975, so I forgive them for that. Further, I think it was difficult to recreate the public sentiment of that post-Vietnam war era, but Noyce pretty much pulled it off.

Finally, I was pleased that the film attempted to raise individual policies of both sides without becoming analytical, obsessive or judgmental over them. Moreover, any that we're raised, for example Connor's pipeline, had a great deal of relevance to the story. The film makers realised that their task was to tell the story of the events leading to the dismissal and not to present a political endorsement or opposition in relation to policies and viewpoints. This was smart because it meant that the film can't be accused of misrepresenting one side's policies.

The dismissal is probably the most incredible piece of political history that has occurred in Australia in its short life. I am glad that it has been crystallized in celluloid. Essential viewing for any Australian.