Letter to the editor — the 1975 dismissal

Governor-General John Kerr sacked the Whitlam Government on the advice of opposition leader Malcolm Fraser after the Senate blocked supply.

The Senate only had the numbers after Joh Bjelke-Petersen replaced a dead senator with his mate.

A change of government was needed at the time, but to have this forced by a foreign head of state is not what Australians wanted. Luckily, the Aussie nature was not to loot, burn and riot like other countries would have.

Mr Kerr went on to be hated by both sides of government and turned up drunk at a horse race.

So I’m not sure this event can be held as a great promotion for constitutional monarchy.