5000. Ballad of 1975 (by Alistair Hulett) Melbourne Unitarian Peace Memorial Church

This song by Alistair Hulett, released in 1987, tells the story of the dismissal of our Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam. I sang it last Sunday at a service of the Melbourne Unitarian Peace Memorial Church, where the talk was about the involvement of the British palace in the scheme.

The 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, also known simply as the Dismissal, culminated on 11 November 1975 with the dismissal from office of the Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam by Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, who then commissioned the Leader of the Opposition, Malcolm Fraser, as Prime Minister. It has been described as the greatest political and constitutional crisis in Australian history.

The Labor Party under Whitlam came to power in the 1972, ending 23 years of consecutive government. Labor won a majority in the House of Representatives, but faced a hostile Senate, half of which had been elected in 1967 and half in 1970. In May 1974, after the Senate voted to reject six of Labor’s non-supply bills, Whitlam advised then Governor-General Sir Paul Hasluck to call a double dissolution election, which saw Labor re-elected with its House of Representatives majority reduced from 9 to 5 seats, although it gained 5 seats in the Senate.

Whitlam’s tenure in office proved highly turbulent and controversial, and in October 1975, the Opposition used its control of the Senate to defer passage of appropriation bills needed to finance government expenditure, which had already been passed by the House of Representatives. Fraser and the Opposition stated that they would continue to block supply in the Senate unless Whitlam called a fresh election and urged Governor-General, John Kerr, who had been appointed Governor-General in July 1974, to dismiss Whitlam unless he acceded to their demand.

On 11 November 1975, the crisis came to a head as Whitlam went to seek Kerr’s approval to call a half-Senate election in an attempt to break the parliamentary deadlock. Kerr did not accept Whitlam’s request, and instead dismissed him as Prime Minister and appointed Malcolm Fraser as caretaker Prime Minister on the understanding that Fraser would immediately call a general election. Acting quickly before all ALP parliamentarians became aware of the change of government, Fraser and his parliamentary allies were able to secure passage of the supply bills through the Senate and advised Kerr to dissolve Parliament for a double dissolution election.

Kerr was widely criticised by Labor supporters for his actions, resigned early as Governor-General, and lived much of his remaining life abroad.

Lyrics and chords:
G …………................…………….. C
I remember the day; I was no more than a boy,
G ………………...................………………. D7
Working in an oxide plant at the back of North Fitzroy.
G ………………...........................………………….…….. C
Bert Gilchrist told the gaffer because Bert Gilchrist had the clout.
G ……………………………...............................…………………. D7
He said, "They've given Gough the bullet and the lads are walking out."

And we walked right off that job while the gaffer held the door
And watched it on the telly in a TV rental store.
It was one hell of a situation, the kind you just can't gauge.
There was Gough on the steps of parliament house saying, “Now maintain the rage.”

Chorus:
……...… G ….......…… D7 …….....…. G
In the year of the double dissolution
……………………………….....................……… D7
Drinking in the streets gave way to doubt.
…...... G …………........………. D7
Australia voted in a revolution,
………...........… G ………............… D7 ……...........…. G
Then stood back and let the fat cats push it out.

There was violence in the air as I walked back home that night.
Everyone you'd meet was getting ready for the fight,
Saying "If they're out for trouble then trouble's what they'll get.
We started out a colony. Do they think we're a colony yet?"

But as the weeks went by the anger turned to mild relief
Locks were freed like magic and I watched in disbelief
To see a scam so blatant so jacked up and full of holes
And the people in their thousands endorsed it at the polls.

Some said they had it coming, some were closer to the mark,
Who spoke about conspiracy, sinister and dark,
But history records it and the story will be read
How we let them take democracy and stand it on its head.

You can see a playlist of my Australian songs here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list...

I am now posting lyrics to the information panels on all my videos. Any that are too long to post in full will be found on my website: https://raymondsfolkpage.wordpress.com