This notice of motion was written by Gough Whitlam at The Lodge on 11 November 1975, shortly after his dismissal by the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr. The note paper shows fold lines, presumably from being carried in the suit pocket of Gough Whitlam for his return to Parliament House.
The motion that Whitlam later presented in the House of Representatives was substantially different to this, but the intent was the same. Whitlam believed it was crucial to demonstrate that only his government had the confidence of the House of Representatives.
On the back of the note paper, Graham Freudenberg has listed the names of those who were present in the Lodge at the time the notice was drafted. Whitlam's account in The Truth of the Matter, as well as John Menadue's notes, indicate that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Gordon Scholes was also present. Menadue also mentions 'Rose' – perhaps Dennis Rose from the Attorney-General's Department.
Details of those listed by Freudenberg are:
EGW – Edward Gough Whitlam, Prime Minister
Frank Crean – Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Overseas Trade
Fred Daly – Labor Party Whip, Minister for Administrative Services
Kep Enderby – Attorney-General
John Menadue – Secretary of the Prime Minister's Department
John Mant – Prime Minister's Principal Private Secretary
Graham Freudenberg – special adviser to the Prime Minister
David Combe – National Secretary of the Labor Party
[ page 1 | page 2 ]
This document is now on display in Memory of a Nation.
More information about this record is available in the National Archives RecordSearch database. The link below takes you into the database.
Where you see this symbol in RecordSearch, a digital copy of the item can be viewed online. Simply click on the 'View digital copy' link.