Obituaries — Hon (Edward) Gough Whitlam AC QCText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeObituaries — Hon (Edward) Gough Whitlam AC QC[Sitting date: 21 October 2014. Volume:701;Page:9. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ObituariesHon (Edward) Gough Whitlam AC QCRt Hon JOHN KEY (Prime Minister):I seek leave to move a motion without notice to acknowledge the death of Gough Whitlam the former Prime Minister of Australia.Mr SPEAKER: Is there any objection to that course of action? There appears to be none.Rt Hon JOHN KEY: I move That this House express its sadness at the passing today of former Australian Prime Minister the Hon Gough Whitlam AC QC aged 98. Mr Whitlam was Australia’s 21st Prime Minister in 1972 and served as Australian political leader for 3 years until 1975. I acknowledge that leadership and on behalf of New Zealanders I would like to express our condolences to his family and the people of Australia.People around the world will remember Mr Whitlam for leading Australia during a dramatic period in Australian politics but equally he should be remembered for his leadership and his achievements. Although he was Prime Minister for a short period of time Mr Whitlam maintained a lifelong interest in public policy including I might add an abiding interest in Australia’s identity its place in the world and I would note he was a very strong advocate for changing his nation’s flag. He understood the importance of national identity and having a flag that was instantly recognisable and meaningful to the people it sought to represent.New Zealand and Australia have historically maintained a close relationship and Prime Ministers of all political hues have continued to work together for the betterment of New Zealanders and Australians. Australia is a country whose fortunes values and people are deeply entwined with our own. We share a similar path in history and our shared aspirations for prosperity and opportunity for our people bound by common values lead us to a shared future. The trans-Tasman relationship has continued to strengthen and today is in very good health but it is important that we continue to work on this relationship and this Government does so as a priority.I would like to acknowledge the efforts of former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and the part he had to play in the history of the friendship of our two countries.Hon ANNETTE KING (Acting Deputy Leader—Labour):Labour joins the Prime Minister in expressing our sympathy to the family of Gough Whitlam former Labor Prime Minister of Australia from 1972 to 1975 who died at the grand old age of 98 years. As we say here in New Zealand “a mighty tōtara has fallen” across the Tasman.He was born in 1916 in Kew a suburb of Melbourne and his real name was Edward Gough Whitlam. He was called by his middle name Gough because his maternal grandfather was called Edward. He married Margaret in 1942 and they had four children. Although he was Prime Minister for only 3 years he became a defining political figure in modern Australia. He came into Government following long periods of Conservative Governments and there were a lot of similarities between Gough Whitlam’s time coming into Government and our own time led by “Big Norm” Kirk.He was a Prime Minister who did institute sweeping changes and the Prime Minister has talked about one of them—changing the flag. But he actually transformed Australian society in many ways. He brought in the national health insurance scheme Medibank. He abolished university fees. He returned traditional lands in the Northern Territory to the Gurindji people. He formed relationships with China he withdrew troops from Viet Nam he passed the Racial Discrimination Act and so much more. His commitment to Labor values aligned very much with the values of our own great tōtara Norman Kirk.He was a towering figure and I remember meeting him in the 1990s when I went to a meeting in Sydney. He walked into the room; he was 1.94 metres tall he had a flowing mop of silver hair and a big booming voice and his oratory was spellbinding. He was accompanied by Margaret who was only slightly shorter than him who was also a very strong personality and who had very forthright views indeed. Wherever they went people stopped and looked at them. There was a real warmth towards them particularly from the Labor Party in Australia because he became an inspiration for generations of progressive politicians. Like our own “Big Norm” he was referred to in Australia by his first name Gough. He was also a man with a great sense of humour and many famous quotes. After the famous—or infamous—dismissal of his Government by Sir John Kerr on 11 November 1975 he stood on the steps of the old Parliament House and said: “Well may we say ‘God save the Queen’ because nothing will save the Governor-General!”. On his 80th birthday he said: “I do admit I seem eternal. Dying will happen sometime. As you know I plan for the ages not just for this life.” When he was asked about what his plans were for the next age his afterlife he replied of a possible meeting with his maker: “You can be sure of one thing—I shall treat Him as an equal.” I am told that Norm Kirk and Gough Whitlam had quite a testy relationship but the similarities between the two are very apparent. When Margaret died in 2012 he said that the love of his life had died. He was a man of superb intellect knowledge and literacy.We mourn his passing for the people of Australia but also as the Prime Minister said because of the bonds and relationships that have been formed between our two countries over many many decades. We pass on our sympathy to his family today.Dr RUSSEL NORMAN (Co-Leader—Green):The Green Party joins the Government in remembering Gough Whitlam. Gough Whitlam was a hero to generations of progressive political activists in Australia like me. In fact this is my signed copy of the The Whitlam Government 1972-1975 which I got Gough to sign many many years ago. He bequeathed a progressive legacy to Australia. Gough Whitlam—and also I think we should remember Lionel Murphy in particular the Attorney-General then High Court judge—stood up for something. They stood up for something real.Gough had a passion for social justice and he had a passion for education and for the arts. In his short Government—only 3 years long—he achieved free university education universal health care legal aid he passed the Racial Discrimination Act and he changed the national anthem from God Save the Queen to Advance Australia Fair which is also something of a dirge it has got to be said but it is better than God Save the Queen. He introduced land rights—in particular in the Northern Territory where the Gurindji people received their land rights. He ended conscription. He ended the death penalty. He ratified the human rights convention the World Heritage Convention he established the national parks and wildlife service he protected the Great Barrier Reef and he set up the department of urban development. He introduced no-fault divorce to Australia. He gave independence to Papua New Guinea and he recognised China and so much more in just 3 short years.He was in a word Australia’s equivalent to “Big Norm” Kirk although he did have an Australian-sized ego. To repeat Annette King’s joke and it was quite a great joke he said of an afterlife: “You can be sure of one thing”—referring to when he might meet God—“I shall treat Him as an equal.” which was Gough’s approach to many things.Gough showed that what matters in politics is not how long you are here; it is what you can achieve. His great many achievements were a victory for the optimists in history and he will be remembered for that.Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First):New Zealand First joins with other parties in marking the death of Gough Whitlam a former Australian Prime Minister and in acknowledging his contribution to Australian political life. He will always have a special place in Australian history because of the constitutional crisis that saw his dismissal from office whilst Prime Minister. That event still reverberates in Australian political life today.It cannot be denied though that he was a gifted and charismatic and courageous politician and he had real character. When visiting the Queen he was required to go to the outfitter first and dress up in tails. He was asked by the outfitter: “What side do you dress on?” to which he said: “Both sides comrade; both sides.” On another occasion he was asked to kick the ball off at the former Queensland versus New South Wales annual state rugby league match before it became what it is today the State of Origin. He was up there and of course at that time Bjelke-Petersen was the premier and Gough was extremely extremely hostilely received. There was booing from the time he walked out on to the middle of the paddock and kicked the ball off all the way back to the stand whereupon he turned round to the chairman of the rugby league union in Queensland and said: “Don’t you ever ask me back again. You are so unpopular!”.It also cannot be denied that he was seriously let down by a number of his colleagues. People can remember the Khemlani Affair and the illegal loan offshore and he was also let down by one of his Ministers whom I will not name because he went AWOL and virtually went bush. But as other colleagues have said he was extremely far-sighted and made many progressive changes that still benefit the Australian people. He was active in political life well into his 90s so for some of you there is hope into the future. [Interruption] You are only jealous. But it cannot be denied that Gough Whitlam was truly a great Australian.Hon TE URUROA FLAVELL (Leader—Māori Party:Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. I te ata nei i kōrerohia te āhuatanga o te hunga mate e taku tuahine e te Hōnore Nanaia Māhuta. Nāna tonu i whakapā mai ngā mate katoa o te motu ka mutu nō nā tata nei tātau i rongo ai mō te matenga o tēnei o ngā Pirimia o Ahitereiria. Nō reira me pēnei rawa te kōrero hai whaiwhai haere i tāna i whakatakoto ai ki mua i te aroaro o Te Whare Pāremata. Koutou te kāhui mate haere koutou haere koutou haere koutou e moe e moe e moe.[Thank you Mr Speaker. This morning my sister the Hon Nanaia Mahuta made references to those who had passed away throughout the nation and furthermore we have just heard about the death of one of the Prime Ministers of Australia. Therefore to follow on to those she brought before the House of Parliament I say to you the dead depart journey on farewell sleep rest and slumber.]The Māori Party stands along with our colleagues in the House to acknowledge the passing of Gough Whitlam. In particular I refer to one of the elements that has already been raised by colleagues and that is around the reaching out to the indigenous people of Australia. There is a particular photograph from 1975 of Gough Whitlam passing soil to the traditional landowner from the Northern Territory a Gurindji man named Vincent Lingiari. I have a photo here of him—a fine man—and it was seen as a defining image of the Whitlam era. Mr Lingiari was one of four signatories to the petition to the Governor-General in 1967. That petition argued that “morally the land is ours and should be returned to us.”Mr Whitlam in a time when it was considered controversial paved the way for later reform through his early recognition of Aboriginal land rights and in that symbolic action of passing the soil he sent a message to the world that indigenous Australians share the same nation and the same hopes of those who arrived earlier from other lands.In 1974 the Australian Cabinet accepted in principle the Woodward royal commission on Aboriginal land rights in the Northern Territory which later led to the introduction of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act of 1976. We think of the bold actions of Gough Whitlam today and that symbolic land hand-back ceremony is part of his legacy and also a challenge for future administrations. Such a legacy can inspire hope around the world that politicians can be open to working with indigenous peoples to help set an agenda for change. We recognise his passing and express our sympathies to his family and to the peoples of Australia. E ai ki te kōrero ko koe te tōtara o te wao o Ahitereiria. E koro e moe haere. [According to the aphorism you are the podocarpus of the forest of Australia. Rest old one farewell.]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.DAVID SEYMOUR (Leader—ACT):I come to this debate with somewhat less primary experience than earlier speakers. However let me say that amongst almost 200 nations in this world there is no better friend of New Zealand than Australia and we are bound together as nations by our common classical liberal heritage. So it is with great sorrow that I pay tribute to an Australian leader who was instrumental in expanding that heritage across the ditch. His removal of the death penalty and military conscription were important liberal achievements for any leader and he was the one who made them for Australia. That is how I will remember him. I commend this motion to the House.Motion agreed to.