November, 1975: Inside Story of Australia's Greatest Political Crisis

Winner, Inaugural Republic Literary Award 1996 What really happened in November 1975? Why did the Governor-General choose not to counsel Gough Whitlam? How did Malcolm Fraser engineer the dismissal? Why was Gough Whitlam so naive in his handling of the crisis? The sacking of the Whitlam government on 11 November 1975 remains the greatest crisis in Australia's political history. Leading political analyst and author Paul Kelly revisits that tumultuous time to provide a new insight into what really happened in the months, weeks and days leading up to the Dismissal. He looks at the personalities of the key players, the manoeuvring behind the scenes, the tricks to control the Senate, the battles to establish the moral high ground and the failed compromises. Interviews with many of the protagonists shed new light on the complex chain of events that began with the election of the Whitlam government in 1972 and led to its dismissal three years later. This is a story of high drama, of towering egos and political intrigue that changed the face of Australian politics forever. The matchless grasp of Australian politics demonstrat