Introduction
1 Walter Bagehot, The English Constitution, Fontana Library, London, 1963, p. 100.
2 This term was used initially by Donald Horne but we give it a different meaning.
3 Tim McDonald, ‘Kerr, Charteris and the Palace letters’, John Menadue’s Pearls and Irritations, 17 July 2020.
4 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 24 September 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
5 McDonald, ‘Kerr, Charteris and the Palace letters’.
6 Anne Kerr, interview with Paul Kelly, June 1995.
7 John Pilger, ‘The CIA coup against “the most loyal ally” is history’s warning in 2020’, johnpilger.com, 2 June 2020.
8 Alex Mitchell, ‘Gough Whitlam’s dismissal and the CIA’, John Menadue’s Pearls and Irritations, 24 July 2020.
9 Guy Rundle, ‘The PM, the spy and the governor-general: what John Kerr didn’t tell the palace’, Crikey, 17 July 2020.
10 Paul Kelly and Troy Bramston, The Dismissal: In the Queen’s Name, Penguin Random House, 2015, p. 270.
11 Central Intelligence Agency, ‘The President’s Daily Brief—November 11, 1975,’ United States Government.
12 Robert Hope to Bob Hawke, 4 July 1984, National Archives of Australia: AA1209, 1983/1299. See also Peter Edwards, Law, Politics and Intelligence: A Life of Robert Hope, NewSouth, Sydney, 2020, p. 137.
13 ibid.
14 Geoff Yeend to Alan Rose, 14 June 1983, National Archives of Australia: AA1209, 1983/1299. See also Edwards, Law, Politics and Intelligence, p. 137.
15 Gough Whitlam, Abiding Interests, University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, Queensland, 1997, p. 49.
16 Jenny Hocking, The Dismissal Dossier, Melbourne University Publishing, updated edition, 2017, p. xviii.
17 ibid., p. 12.
18 Jenny Hocking, Gough Whitlam: His Time, The Miegunyah Press, Carlton, 2012, p. 312.
19 Jenny Hocking, ‘A royal green light’,John Menadue’s Pearls and Irritations, 23 October 2017.
20 ibid.
21 ibid.
22 The Project, Network Ten, 14 July 2020.
23 Hocking, ‘A royal green light’.
24 Stephanie Peatling, ‘“Volcanic”: Evidence of Queen’s involvement in the 1975 dismissal uncovered’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 October 2017.
25 Anne Twomey, ‘Wild colonial boys’, The Australian Financial Review, 17 July 2020.
26 ibid.
27 Hocking, The Dismissal Dossier, p. 15.
28 ibid., p. 12.
29 Peter FitzSimons, ‘Monarchists can’t pretend royals are just a symbol now’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 October 2017.
30 Paul Kelly and Troy Bramston, ‘In defence of the Queen’, The Weekend Australian, 14–15 April 2018.
31 Hocking, The Dismissal Dossier, p. xvii.
32 Kelly and Bramston, The Dismissal, pp. 307–13.
33 John Kerr, ‘Introduction to Annotated Copy of The Palace Correspondence’, National Archives of Australia: M4523, 1 Part 15.
1 An Australian Decision
1 John Kerr, ‘Kerr rejects ambush myth: “PM knew I could sack him”’, The Bulletin, 10 September 1985.
2 John Kerr, Matters for Judgment, Macmillan, South Melbourne, 1978, p. 330.
3 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 11 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
4 ibid.
5 Gough Whitlam, The Truth of the Matter, Penguin, Ringwood, Victoria, 1979, p. 110.
6 Kerr, Matters for Judgment, pp. 358–9 and Whitlam, The Truth of the Matter, p. 110.
7 Kerr, Matters for Judgment, p. 359.
8 William Heseltine, interview with Paul Kelly, May 2015.
9 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 17 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
10 Martin Charteris, interview with Paul Kelly, June 1995.
11 Whitlam, The Truth of the Matter, p. 119.
12 William Heseltine, interview with Paul Kelly, May 2015; William Heseltine, interview with Troy Bramston, September 2015.
13 Twomey, ‘Wild colonial boys’.
14 Memorandum by Paul Hasluck, 10 August 1977, Hasluck Collection, Perth. (This was provided to the authors by Nicholas Hasluck.)
15 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 24 September 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
16 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 2 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
17 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 23 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
18 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 5 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
19 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 12 September 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
20 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 20 September 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
21 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 17 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
22 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 20 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
23 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 27 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
24 ibid.
25 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 6 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
26 Gordon Scholes to the Queen, 12 November 1975. See Kelly and Bramston, The Dismissal, appendix.
27 Martin Charteris to Gordon Scholes, 17 November 1975. See Kelly and Bramston, The Dismissal, appendix.
28 Paul Kelly, November 1975: The Inside Story of Australia’s Greatest Political Crisis, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1995, p. 279.
29 Kelly and Bramston, ‘In defence of the Queen’.
30 Buckingham Palace, statement, 14 July 2020.
31 John Kerr Papers, Buckingham Palace Press Office Note, National Archives of Australia: M4524, 1, Part 13.
32 Paul Keating, After Words: The Post-Prime Ministerial Speeches, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2011, pp. 53–7.
33 Paul Keating, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020.
2 The Truth of the Reserve Powers
1 Kerr, Matters for Judgment, p. 52.
2 ibid., pp. 52–3.
3 ibid.
4 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 4 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
5 HV Evatt, The King and His Dominion Governors, Oxford University Press, London, 1936 (second edition, Frank Cass and Company Limited, 1967; reprinted by Legal Books, Sydney, 1990, pp. 81–3).
6 Anne Twomey, The Veiled Sceptre: Reserve Powers of Heads of State in Westminster Systems, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2018, p. 31.
7 Anthony Mason, ‘Conversation with Sir John Kerr relating to his termination of the commission of the Prime Minister (The Hon. EG Whitlam AC QC) on 11 November 1975’, National Library of Australia: MS Acc 12.118.
8 Ken Gee, interview with Paul Kelly, June 1995.
9 Kerr, Matters for Judgment, p. 54.
10 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 24 September 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
11 Christine Wallace, ‘“Palace letters” reveal the palace’s fingerprints on the dismissal of the Whitlam government’, The Conversation, 14 July 2020.
12 Twomey, ‘Wild colonial boys’.
13 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 4 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
14 Anne Twomey, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020. See also Twomey, ‘Wild colonial boys’.
15 Media release, Mark Dreyfus and Matt Thistlethwaite, 14 July 2020.
16 Anne Twomey, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020. See also Twomey, The Veiled Sceptre, pp. 31–2.
17 William Heseltine, interview with Paul Kelly, quoted in 100 Years: The Australian Story, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2001, p. 26.
18 William Heseltine, interview with Troy Bramston, July 2020.
19 Sir Paul Hasluck, ‘Tangled in the harness’, Quadrant, November 1983.
20 Hasluck memorandum.
21 Bagehot, The English Constitution, p. 111.
3 Kerr Cultivates the Palace
1 Jenny Hocking, ‘Letters are promised bombshell’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 July 2020.
2 William Heseltine, interview with Troy Bramston, July 2020.
3 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 8 November 1974, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
4 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 10 December 1974, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
5 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 4 February 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
6 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 24 March 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
7 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 11 June 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
8 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 3 July 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1. (It is likely that this letter was writtten and sent on 4 July 1975.)
9 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 29 August 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
10 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 25 July 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
11 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 12 September 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
12 ibid.
13 ibid.
14 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 20 September 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
15 ibid.
16 ibid.
17 ibid.
18 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 24 September 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
19 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 30 September 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
20 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 2 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
21 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 17 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
22 ibid.
23 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 20 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
24 ibid.
25 ibid.
26 ibid.
27 ibid.
28 Kerr phoned Whitlam during the Labor caucus meeting on 21 October 1975 to talk about Ellicott opinion. Whitlam left the meeting to take the call. When he returned to the meeting, he motioned Enderby to the side of the room. Enderby could not be precise whether Whitlam said he thought the Ellicott opinion was ‘bullshit’ or Kerr thought it was ‘bullshit’. But he had the impression Kerr thought it was ‘bullshit’. Whitlam asked for the law officers to prepare an opinion on the Ellicott memorandum and told Enderby that he would personally give it to Kerr. See Kep Enderby, Oral History Interview, May–June 1976, ORAL TRC 121/79, National Library of Australia.
29 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 22 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
30 ibid.
31 ibid.
32 ibid.
33 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 30 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
34 This letter is dated on the first page as 27 October but by the time Kerr completes it, he notes it is 30 October. See John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 30 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
35 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 23 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
36 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 27 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
37 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 6 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
4 The Queen and Recall
1 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 2 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2; John Kerr, ‘Journal for 1980’, National Archives of Australia: M4523, 1, Part 17. See also Kelly and Bramston, The Dismissal, p. 123.
2 Kerr, ‘Journal for 1980’.
3 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 2 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
4 Kerr, Matters for Judgment, p. 292.
5 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 2 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
6 Kelly and Bramston, The Dismissal, p. 124.
7 Martin Charteris, interview with Paul Kelly, June 1995.
8 William Heseltine, interview with Troy Bramston, October 2014.
9 Anne Twomey, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020.
10 Hocking, The Dismissal Dossier, p. 16.
11 Jenny Hocking, ‘Relics of colonialism’, John Menadue’s Pearls and Irritations, 7 February 2018.
12 Hocking, Gough Whitlam: His Time, p. 312.
13 Hocking, The Dismissal Dossier, p. 15.
14 ibid., p. 23.
15 ibid., p. 15.
16 ibid., pp. 25–6. See also Kelly and Bramston, ‘In defence of the Queen’.
17 Hocking, ‘Letters are promised bombshell’; Jenny Hocking, ‘The Palace letters have blown apart the claim the Queen had no part in the Whitlam dismissal’, John Menadue’s Pearls and Irritations, 15 July 2020.
18 John Mant, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2015.
19 Kerr, Matters for Judgment, p. 258.
20 Kerr, ‘Kerr rejects ambush myth’.
21 David Smith, interview with Paul Kelly, April 1995.
22 Anne Kerr, interview with Paul Kelly, June 1995.
23 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 17 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
24 ‘November 1975’, Four Corners, ABC TV, November 1995.
25 John Kerr, ‘Notes by Sir John Kerr on discussions with Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser’, 16 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: M4523, 1, Part 3.
26 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 20 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
27 ibid.
28 John Kerr, ‘Notes on a conversation with Malcolm Fraser on the occasion of a dinner for the Prime Minister of Malaysia’, National Archives of Australia: M4523, 1, Part 2.
29 Malcolm Fraser, interview with Troy Bramston, April 2013.
30 Malcolm Fraser, interview with Paul Kelly, May 1995.
31 John Menadue, ‘The Governor-General and the dismissal of the Labor government’, June 1976 Addition, National Library of Australia: MS Acc 11.054. See also Kelly and Bramston, The Dismissal, p. 130.
32 Malcolm Fraser and Margaret Simons, Malcolm Fraser: The Political Memoirs, The Miegunyah Press, Carlton, 2010, pp. 297–8.
33 Gough Whitlam, interview with Paul Kelly, May 1995.
34 Whitlam, The Truth of the Matter, p. 111.
35 Kelly, November 1975, pp. 219–22.
36 Gough Whitlam to Harold Wilson, 31 December 1975, The National Archives (Kew): PREM 16/1509.
37 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 20 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
38 ibid.
39 ibid.
40 ibid.
41 ibid.
42 Garfield Barwick to John Kerr, 2 July 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 4.
43 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 27 July 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 4.
44 ibid.
45 ibid.
46 ibid.
47 ibid.
48 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 5 August 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 4.
49 ibid.
50 ibid.
51 ibid.
5 A Disgruntled Governor-General
1 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 15 August 1974, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
2 ibid.
3 ibid.
4 ibid.
5 ibid.
6 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 2 September 1974, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
7 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 6 September 1974, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
8 ibid.
9 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 14 September 1974, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
10 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 9 September 1974, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
11 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 14 September 1974, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
12 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 4 February 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
13 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 3 February 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
14 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 22 November 1974, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
15 ibid.
16 ibid.
17 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 4 December 1974, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
18 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 4 February 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
19 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 10 February 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
20 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 19 December 1974, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
21 ibid.
22 John Kerr to Gough Whitlam, 19 December 1974, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
23 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 21 July 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
24 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 30 July 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
25 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 4 January 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
26 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 3 February 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
27 ibid.
6 The Judges: Barwick and Mason
1 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 20 September 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
2 Garfield Barwick, Sir John Did His Duty, Serendip Publications, Wahroonga, 1983, pp. 73–5.
3 ibid.
4 ibid., p. 75.
5 Kerr, Matters for Judgment, p. 45.
6 ibid., pp. 154–5.
7 John Kerr, Oral History Interview, 1974–76, ORAL TRC 440, National Library of Australia, p. 163. The authors obtained access to this interview in 2013. It is not available for public access until 2041 without written permission from Kerr’s executor.
8 Kerr, Matters for Judgment, p. 171.
9 Kerr, Oral History Interview, p. 377.
10 ibid., p. 169.
11 Kerr, Matters for Judgment, p. 341.
12 Garfield Barwick, A Radical Tory: Garfield Barwick’s Reflections & Recollections, The Federation Press, Sydney, 1995, p. 291.
13 Garfield Barwick to John Kerr, 10 November 1975, see Kelly and Bramston, The Dismissal, appendix.
14 ibid.
15 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 11 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
16 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 17 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
17 Kerr, Matters for Judgment, p. 348.
18 Garfield Barwick, ‘Dismissal of the Labour government, 1975–1979’, National Archives of Australia: M3942/18.
19 ibid.
20 Barwick, A Radical Tory, p. 298.
21 Barwick, ‘Dismissal of the Labour Government, 1975–1979’.
22 ibid.
23 Barwick, Sir John Did His Duty, p. 94.
24 John Kerr, Matters for Judgment, p. 341.
25 Sir Garfield Barwick: A Life, ABC TV, 5 January 1994.
26 Gerard Henderson, ‘Kerr’s matter of judgment’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 8 January 1994.
27 The primary Kerr note about Mason includes several typed drafts with corrections and a handwritten draft. See John Kerr, ‘Conversation with Sir Anthony Mason during October–November 1975’, National Archives of Australia: M4523, 1, Part 14.
28 Mason, ‘Conversation with Sir John Kerr relating to his termination of the commission of the Prime Minister (The Hon. EG Whitlam AC QC) on 11 November 1975’.
29 Kerr, ‘Conversation with Sir Anthony Mason during October–November 1975’.
30 Mason, ‘Conversation with Sir John Kerr relating to his termination of the commission of the Prime Minister (The Hon. EG Whitlam AC QC) on 11 November 1975’.
31 Kelly and Bramston, The Dismissal, pp. 82–3.
32 Mason, ‘Conversation with Sir John Kerr relating to his termination of the commission of the Prime Minister (The Hon. EG Whitlam AC QC) on 11 November 1975’.
33 ibid.
34 Kerr, ‘Conversation with Sir Anthony Mason during October–November 1975’.
35 Mason, ‘Conversation with Sir John Kerr relating to his termination of the commission of the Prime Minister (The Hon. EG Whitlam AC QC) on 11 November 1975’.
36 ibid.
37 ibid.
38 ibid.
39 Kerr, ‘Conversation with Sir Anthony Mason during October–November 1975’.
40 Ninian Stephen, interview with Paul Kelly, September 1995.
41 Bob Hawke, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2015; Paul Keating, interview with Paul Kelly and Troy Bramston, July 2015.
7 Whitlam’s Half-Senate Election Folly
1 Philip Ayres, Malcolm Fraser: A Biography, William Heinemann Australia, Richmond, 1987, p. 299.
2 Kerr, Matters for Judgment, p. 355.
3 ibid.
4 Statement by the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr, 11 November 1975. See Kelly and Bramston, The Dismissal, appendix.
5 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 30 September 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
6 ibid.
7 ibid.
8 House of Representatives, Hansard, 16 October 1975, p. 2202.
9 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 17 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
10 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 20 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
11 ibid.
12 Paul Kelly, The Unmaking of Gough, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1994, pp. 335–6.
13 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 22 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
14 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 30 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
15 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 27 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
16 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 6 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
17 Kelly, November 1975, p. 246.
18 Kelly and Bramston, The Dismissal, p. 214.
19 Kelly, November 1975, pp. 245–6.
20 ibid., p. 243.
21 Gough Whitlam, The Truth of the Matter, Melbourne University Publishing, third edition, 2005, p. 149.
22 Kerr, Matters for Judgment, p. 346.
23 Peter FitzSimons, ‘Monarchists can’t pretend royals are just a symbol now’.
24 Brian Barder to Leonard Bevan, 17 October 1975, The National Archives (Kew): FCO 24/2032. See also Kelly and Bramston, ‘In defence of the Queen’.
25 Morrice James to Leonard Bevan, 24 October 1975, The National Archives (Kew): FCO 24/2032.
26 Leonard Bevan to Morrice James, 28 October 1975, The National Archives (Kew): FCO 24/2032.
27 Leonard Bevan to Brian Barder, 28 October 1975, The National Archives (Kew): FCO 24/2032.
28 Don Emerton, ‘Possible half Senate election’, 6 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: M4799, 12/7.
29 Hocking, ‘Relics of colonialism’.
30 ibid.
31 Anne Twomey, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020.
32 Morrice James, ‘The Australian Constitutional Crisis, 1975’, 20 November 1975, Diplomatic Report No. 373/75, The National Archives (Kew): FCO 24/2051-2052. See also Kelly and Bramston, The Dismissal, p. 254.
33 Joe Haines, The Politics of Power, Jonathan Cape, London, 1997, p. 92.
34 Bernard Donoughue, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2015.
8 Fraser: Engineer of the Crisis
1 Malcolm Fraser, interview with Troy Bramston, April 2013.
2 Kelly, November 1975, pp. 108–9.
3 Bob Ellicott, interview with Troy Bramston, October 2014.
4 Kerr, ‘Notes on a conversation with Malcolm Fraser on the occasion of a dinner for the Prime Minister of Malaysia’.
5 Malcolm Fraser, interview with Troy Bramston, April 2013.
6 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 17 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
7 David Kemp, interview with Troy Bramston, June 2015.
8 Geoff Bentley, email to Troy Bramston, November 2015.
9 Tony Staley, interview with Troy Bramston, July 2015.
10 Laurence Street, interview with Paul Kelly and Troy Bramston, April 2015.
11 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 22 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
12 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 27 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
13 Tony Staley, interview with Troy Bramston, July 2015.
14 Malcolm Fraser, interview with Troy Bramston, April 2013.
15 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 22 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
16 Tony Eggleton, interview with Paul Kelly and Troy Bramston, July 2015.
17 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 22 October 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
18 ibid.
19 Malcolm Fraser, interview with Paul Kelly, May 1995.
20 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 6 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
21 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 20 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
22 Fraser and Simons, Malcolm Fraser: The Political Memoirs, p. 304.
23 ibid.
24 Reg Withers, Oral History Interview, 1997–98, ORAL TRC 3616, National Library of Australia, p. 389.
25 Vic Garland, interview with Paul Kelly, July 2015.
26 Dale Budd, interview with Paul Kelly and Troy Bramston, July 2015.
27 Malcolm Fraser, statutory declaration, 2 June 2006, The Malcolm Fraser Collection, University of Melbourne.
28 Malcolm Fraser, interview with Troy Bramston, May 2014.
29 Graham Freudenberg, interviews with Troy Bramston, May 2014, July 2015, February 2017.
9 Kerr: To Resign or Not to Resign
1 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 17 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
2 Anne Twomey, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020.
3 Bill Hayden, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2020.
4 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 5 May 1977, National Archives of Australia: M4524/31.
5 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 17 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
6 ibid.
7 ibid.
8 ibid.
9 ibid.
10 ibid.
11 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 20 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
12 Robert Menzies to John Kerr, 19 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
13 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 25 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
14 ibid.
15 ibid.
16 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 24 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
17 ibid.
18 ibid.
19 ibid.
20 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 28 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
21 ibid.
22 ibid.
23 ibid.
24 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 3 December 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
25 ibid.
26 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 5 December 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
27 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 16 December 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
28 ibid.
29 ibid.
10 Whitlam, Fraser and the Palace
1 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 17 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
2 Gough Whitlam denied this call ever took place. But the evidence supports Kerr’s claim that he did phone Government House. Kerr made a note of the conversation at the time. (See John Kerr, ‘Notes on conversation between the Governor-General, Malcolm Fraser and Clarence Harders’, National Archives of Australia: M4523, 1, Part 8.). Kerr also informed Martin Charteris of this phone call. (See John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 22 January 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.).
3 Scholes to the Queen. See Kelly and Bramston, The Dismissal, appendix.
4 Gordon Scholes, interview with Troy Bramston, June 2015.
5 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 17 November 1975, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 2.
6 Charteris to Scholes. See Kelly and Bramston, The Dismissal, appendix.
7 Gough Whitlam to Martin Charteris, 26 December 1975. See Kelly and Bramston, The Dismissal, appendix.
8 ibid.
9 ibid.
10 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 9 January 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
11 Martin Charteris to Gough Whitlam, 12 January 1976. See Kelly and Bramston, The Dismissal, appendix.
12 ibid.
13 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 22 January 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
14 Malcolm Fraser to Martin Charteris, 25 January 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
15 ibid.
16 Martin Charteris to Malcolm Fraser, 29 January 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
11 Kerr Under Siege
1 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 4 February 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
2 ‘Caucus accuses Sir John of intrigue’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 28 January 1976, p. 2.
3 ‘Whitlam calls Sir John deceitful’, The Canberra Times, 10 February 1976, p. 3.
4 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 16 February 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
5 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 19 February 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
6 ibid.
7 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 16 February 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
8 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 24 February 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
9 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 2 March 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
10 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 15 March 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
11 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 23 March 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
12 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 31 March 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
13 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 6 April 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
14 ibid.
15 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 23 April 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
16 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 4 May 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
17 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 23 April 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
18 ibid.
19 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 7 May 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
20 ibid.
21 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 17 May 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 3.
22 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 10 June 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 4.
23 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 16 June 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 4.
24 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 10 June 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 4.
25 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 17 June 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 4.
26 Geoff Yeend, ‘Papers relating to the Governor-General and the events of 1975’, National Archives of Australia: M4799, 20/3.
27 ibid.
28 ibid.
29 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 17 June 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 4.
30 Yeend, ‘Papers relating to the Governor-General and the events of 1975’.
31 Kerr reported that Swift issued regular press releases calling for him to resign or be dismissed. Swift surveyed the vice-regal notices and wrote to prominent people querying why they had not been invited to official functions and suggested this showed Kerr lacked judgement and was unsuitable to be Governor-General. She asked members of her organisation to write abusive letters to a ‘Guest-of-the-Week’ who had been to Government House stating that it was wrong they accepted Kerr’s hospitality. She asked for contributions to a fund which would make up the gap between Kerr’s salary and pension, hoping it would be an incentive for him to resign. Funds were sent to the Executive Council via the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet—$21 was raised. Swift was charged and fined $10 for throwing an egg at Kerr’s Rolls-Royce during the Queen’s birthday parade at the Royal Military College. See John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 22 September 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 4.
32 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 7 September 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 4.
33 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 1 December 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 5.
34 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 4 January 1977, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 5.
35 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 21 January 1977, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 5.
36 Philip Moore to John Kerr, 19 September 1978, National Archives of Australia: M4526, 6. See also Troy Bramston, ‘Kowtow Kerr’s all-out bid to please palace’, The Weekend Australian, 10 August 2019.
37 Kerr, Matters for Judgment, p. 329.
38 John Kerr to Philip Moore, 25 September 1978, National Archives of Australia: M4526, 6.
39 Philip Moore to John Kerr, 28 June 1979, National Archives of Australia: M4526, 6.
40 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 29 March 1979, National Archives of Australia: M4526, 6.
41 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 20 January 1977, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 5.
42 John Kerr, ‘The Queen’s visit and the position of the Governor-General’, March 1977, National Archives of Australia: M4524, 28.
43 John Kerr to the Queen, 5 April 1977, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 5.
44 John Kerr to Martin Charteris, 5 May 1977, National Archives of Australia: M4524/31.
45 ibid.
46 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 12 May 1977, National Archives of Australia: M4524/31.
47 John Kerr to Robert Menzies, 14 July 1977, National Archives of Australia: M4524, 1 Part 4.
48 John Kerr to the Queen, 10 June 1977, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 5.
49 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 15 June 1977, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 5.
50 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 11 July 1977, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 5.
51 Hasluck memorandum.
52 ibid.
53 Dale Budd, interview with Paul Kelly and Troy Bramston, July 2015.
54 David Kemp, interview with Troy Bramston, June 2015.
55 William Heseltine, interview with Troy Bramston, September 2015.
56 Hasluck memorandum.
12 Kerr and Charles: A Special Relationship
1 John Kerr, ‘Notes on Conversations and Correspondence with H.R.H The Prince of Wales’, April 1981, National Archives of Australia: M4526/42.
2 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 9 October 1974, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 1.
3 Kerr, ‘Notes on Conversations and Correspondence with H.R.H The Prince of Wales’.
4 ibid.
5 ibid.
6 ibid.
7 ibid.
8 ibid.
9 ibid.
10 ibid.
11 ibid.
12 ibid.
13 ibid.
14 ibid.
15 ibid.
16 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 3 August 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 4.
17 Martin Charteris to John Kerr, 5 August 1976, National Archives of Australia: AA1984/609, Part 4.
18 David Checketts to John Kerr, 25 October 1976, National Archives of Australia: M4526/42.
19 Kerr, ‘Notes on Conversations and Correspondence with H.R.H The Prince of Wales’.
20 John Kerr, ‘Assessment of position up to the Queen’s visit and relevant conversations’, 20 April 1976, National Archives of Australia: M4524/34.
21 Prince Charles to John Kerr, 27 March 1976, National Archives of Australia: M4526/42.
22 Kerr, ‘Notes on Conversations and Correspondence with H.R.H The Prince of Wales’.
23 Prince Charles to John Kerr, 27 March 1976, National Archives of Australia: M4526/42.
13 The Republic
1 Keating, After Words, pp. 53–7.
2 ibid.
3 Sir Robert Fellowes, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2016.
4 Paul Keating, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020.
5 Paul Kelly, The Australian, 7 February 1994.
6 John Howard, Lazarus Rising: A Personal and Political Autobiography, HarperCollins, Sydney, 2010, p. 334.
7 Mark Dreyfus and Matthew Thistlethwaite, ‘Palace Letters Release’, Media Release, 14 July 2020.
8 Matthew Thistlethwaite, ‘The Palace letters: A conversation with Jenny Hocking’, 19 August 2020, YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWm5XxElOTs).
9 Dreyfus and Thistlethwaite, ‘Palace Letters Release’.
10 Anthony Albanese, statement to Paul Kelly and Troy Bramston, September 2020.
11 Statement by Peter FitzSimons, chair of the Australian Republic Movement, 14 July 2020.
12 FitzSimons, ‘Monarchists can’t pretend royals are just a symbol now’.
13 Media release, Australian Republic Movement, 15 July 2020.
14 Paul Keating, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020.
15 Bill Hayden, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2020.
16 Kim Beazley, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2020.
17 Simon Crean, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2020.
18 Bill Shorten, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2020.
19 Simon Crean, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2020.
20 Bill Shorten, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2020.
21 John Howard, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020.
22 Kelly, 100 Years: The Australian Story, p. 247.
23 Keating, After Words, pp. 56–7.
14 The Modern Governor-General
1 Don Markwell, ‘The Office of Governor-General’, Melbourne University Law Review, 2015.
2 ibid. This phrase came from a Ninian Stephen interview with Paul Kelly.
3 Quentin Bryce, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020.
4 Peter Cosgrove, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020.
5 Bill Hayden, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2020.
6 Kim Beazley, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2020.
7 ibid.
8 Hasluck memorandum.
9 Paul Hasluck, Oral History Interview, 1985, ORAL TRC 1966, National Library of Australia, pp. 373–4.
10 Quentin Bryce, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020.
11 Peter Cosgrove, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020.
12 Quentin Bryce, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020.
13 Kim Beazley, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2020.
14 Peter Cosgrove, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020.
15 Kim Beazley, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2020.
16 Bill Hayden, interview with Troy Bramston, August 2020.
17 Quentin Bryce, interview with Paul Kelly, August 2020.
Epilogue
1 Kerr, ‘Journal for 1980’.
2 John Kerr, ‘Kerr breaks his silence: “Why I was right to sack Whitlam”’, The Bulletin, 3 September 1985, p. 66.