Dunne Peter: Obituaries — Hon (Edward) Gough Whitlam AC QCText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDunne Peter: Obituaries — Hon (Edward) Gough Whitlam AC QC[Sitting date: 21 October 2014. Volume:701;Page:9. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon PETER DUNNE (Leader—United Future):I want to join with other members in expressing sympathy to the people of Australia and to the family of the late Gough Whitlam at his passing at the grand old age of 98 this morning. He was the most outstanding Prime Minister in terms of flair in terms of dynamism and in terms of achievement of the last couple of generations in the lucky country. He had the advantage of coming at the end of the very staid Menzies period when Australia was ready to come into the latter half of the 20th century and to take some positive and bold steps.We have heard the range of reforms that he unleashed over a 3-year period referred to by so many speakers in the House this afternoon. But if you look at Australia during that time it was also the time of a remarkable cultural renaissance. Australian literature film and the good things in life—food wine—all flourished and there seemed to be an air that the confidence and the style that the Whitlams unleashed had let these things out of the bottle in Australia and Australia had truly come of age as a country.Like all grand men he was not without fault. He was imperious he dominated his Cabinet both physically and intellectually and on one famous occasion during a very frustrating debate he was heard to proclaim: “God protect me from short people!” which was a reference to the Ministers around him. During the 1974 campaign his second campaign he insisted on the electoral slogan: “Gough’s going great.” only until such time as the Liberals rephrased it as: “Gough’s going. Great!”.He will always be remembered as others have mentioned for the circumstances of his dismissal. But the fact that nearly 40 years after that event we still talk about it and we still recall it vividly—we remember the scenes on the steps of Parliament House we remember the intricate movements around it—shows what a remarkable man Gough Whitlam was. He continued to be active right until the middle of his 90s. I recall speaking recently in the last couple of years to a publisher who was saying that she was publishing some work for him and she could not keep up with the pace of sending him drafts one evening and having the corrected drafts back the following morning from this nonagenarian gentleman—a man of remarkable intellect and skill.It is a huge loss to the people of Australia. He was a man who I think did a lot in his time to bridge the gap in the relationship with New Zealand. The Canberra pact signed in 1944 had long since ceased to be operative between our two countries. Whitlam and Kirk renewed it. People have referred to “Big Norm”. I sat behind the two of them by about two rows at the opening of the Christchurch Commonwealth Games and I have to say to the House that when they stood up Gough Whitlam was bigger taller and larger and that was a considerable achievement. A great Australian a great man—he will be missed. His country deservedly is proud of his achievement.