2. Who is John Kerr?
• 24 September 1914 – 24
March 1991
• Eighteenth Governor
General of Australia
• Dismissed Whitlam on
11/11/1975
• Educated at Fort Street High
School
• Graduated from the
University of Sydney with
first class honours in law
3. Career
• Began legal practice in 1938
• Enlisted in Second AIF in 1942
• Returned to legal practice in 1948,
appointed a Queen’s Counsel in 1953
• In 1974 Gough Whitlam gave Kerr the
position of Governor General
• Dismissed the Whitlam Government on the
11th of November in 1975
4. The Dismissal of Whitlam
• Whitlam Government lost control
of the Senate and therefore could
not pass Australia’s “Budget”
• The government had no money to
operate with and as a result, was
unable to govern
• The Whitlam Government was
dismissed and replaced by
“Caretaker” government led by
Malcom Fraser
• Controversial as a non-elected
government was put in charge of
Australia
5. Social and Political Impact
• Unelected representative of the queen removed a
government
• The government removed commanded a majority in the
House of Reps
• The power of the Governor General was put into
question
6. Similar Event – Jack Lang’s Dismissal
• Only premier of an Australian
state to be dismissed by a
state Governor
• Dismissed by Sir Philip Game
• Dismissal arose from Lang’s
defiance of the
Commonwealth
Government’s financial
agreements
8. Questions
1. What was the reason for Whitlam’s
Dismissal?
2. John Kerr was the _____th Governor
General of Australia.
3. Why was Whitlam’s dismissal so
controversial?
4. Where was Sir John Kerr educated?
5. When was Sir John Kerr given the role of
Governor General?
