Whitlam
The legacy of this government was that it instigated major changes in the social and cultural fabric of Australia but it also challenged the philosophy of what an Australian is and what Australia represented. The late 1960s and early 1970s were times of great change. Perspectives and acceptances about imperialism, women's liberation, racism, ideology, religion, war, morality, social responsibility and the natural environment were changing for a great many people throughout the world. Some issues were long term political debates that had been presented previously but not received enough support for legislative change.
The first Bill introduced to the Senate on March 1, 1972, the Death Penalty Abolition Bill was by not a new issue (1). The abolition of the death penalty had been a tenet of the ALP since 1919 although the Scullin, Curtin and Chifley ALP governments had not introduced any Bill (2). It was the second reading of the third introduction of the Bill that was passed on May 8, 1973 (3).
This Bill was opposed by the Country Party but supported by the ALP and over half the Liberal members that voted on the Bill when it was carried on the September 13, 1973 (4).
Other examples of issues of change that had been previously presented by the Whitlam opposition were the lowering of the age to vote from 21 to 18 and the lowering of the age when a person could marry without parental consent from 21 to 18. These two Bills were the first to be presented in the Whitlam Government's House of Representatives (5). This empowerment of youth was an important social and political step by the Whitlam lead ALP. The children of the post war baby boom were reaching or nearing adulthood, Australia had a large youth population and in typically ALP seats like Whitlam's own seat of Werriwa the youth population was very high (6). The withdrawal of troops from Viet Nam and the end of conscription were also issues that affected the youth of Australia.
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