October 21, 2014

Former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam dies at age 98

Flags are being flown at half mast today, 21 October 2014, in honour of Australia’s 21st Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, who passed away at the age of 98 this morning.

Foundation Vice-Chancellor Michael Birt and former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam joined Vice Chancellor McKinnon for the 1994 University Celebration Day

Though Mr Whitlam served as Prime Minister for just three years, from 1972 to 1975 when the governor-general dismissed him, his impression on Australia cannot be overstated.

The Melbourne born Labor Party member brought about change via the recognition of Aboriginal land rights, by establishing diplomatic ties with China, implementing universal health care, putting an end to conscription and withdrawing forces from Vietnam. Mr Whitlam also made tertiary education accessible for working class Australians by abolishing fees.

Mr Whitlam’s contributions to Australia have been recognised time and time again. In 1989, University of Wollongong was privileged to host Mr Whitlam and confer on him an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree alongside two other former Prime Ministers - Sir John Gorton GCMG AC CH and Michael Somare CH from Papua New Guinea.

Three Prime Ministers - Gough Whitlam, Sir Michael Somare and Sir John Gorton - display their honorary doctorates from UOW in December 1989.

 Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Papua New Guinea Professor Ken Inglis summed up the importance of the occasion in the commemorative program for the event, writing: “In a time of such ferment, every public event in a university takes on a symbolic importance; and in offering Honorary degrees to Sir John Gorton, Gough Whitlam and Michael Somare the University of Wollongong is making an affirmation about higher education and nationhood. Honouring a Prime Minister is not unusual. Honouring two Prime Ministers on the one occasion is as far as I know unprecedented. Honouring three Prime Ministers is a gesture of breathtaking inspiration.”
 
The doctorates were conferred to mark the three Prime Ministers’ “contributions to the cultural, educational and political independence of their nations”, but they also marked a coming of age for UOW. During the 1980s the University had also established its own cultural, educational and political independence, and its growing self-belief was epitomised in this “gesture of breathtaking inspiration”.