Gough Whitlam: Prime Minister Dismissed 1975

Students role-playing as Gough Whitlam, Malcolm Fraser and Sir John Kerr on the front steps of Old Parliament House.

Explore the dismissal of Gough Whitlam’s Government in 1975, an event that was considered a constitutional crisis within Australia’s democracy.

During Gough Whitlam: Prime Minister Dismissed 1975, students analyse the events that led to the final moments of the Whitlam Government.

Using heritage spaces of Old Parliament House, including the iconic front steps, students recreate the drama using authentic speeches in the very place that the Dismissal occurred.

This program is eligible for the Parliamentary and Civics Education Rebate (PACER). For your school to receive the rebate you must apply at least three weeks before your visit.

Make a booking enquiry

*Australian Curriculum V8.3 – Curriculum Learning Areas

Civics and citizenship

Year 9

The role of political parties and independent representatives in Australia’s system of government, including the formation of governments (ACHCK075)
How citizens’ political choices are shaped, including the influence of the media (ACHCK076)
The process through which government policy is shaped and developed, including the role of Prime Minister and Cabinet (ACHCK103)
Develop, select and evaluate a range of questions to investigate Australia's political and legal systems (ACHCS082)
Critically evaluate information and ideas from a range of sources in relation to civics and citizenship topics and issues (ACHCS084)
Account for different interpretations and points of view (ACHCS085)
Recognise and consider multiple perspectives and ambiguities, and use strategies to negotiate and resolve contentious issues (ACHCS086)
Use democratic processes to reach consensus on a course of action relating to a civics or citizenship issue and plan for that action (ACHCS087)
Reflect on their role as a citizen in Australian, regional and global contexts (ACHCS089)

Year 10

The challenges to and ways of sustaining a resilient democracy and cohesive society (ACHCK094)
Develop, select and evaluate a range of questions to investigate Australia's political and legal systems (ACHCS095)
Critically evaluate information and ideas from a range of sources in relation to civics and citizenship topics and issues (ACHCS097)
Account for different interpretations and points of view (ACHCS098)
Recognise and consider multiple perspectives and ambiguities, and use strategies to negotiate and resolve contentious issues (ACHCS099)
Use democratic processes to reach consensus on a course of action relating to a civics or citizenship issue and plan for that action (ACHCS100)
Reflect on their role as a citizen in Australian, regional and global contexts (ACHCS102)

History

Year 9

Use chronological sequencing to demonstrate the relationship between events and developments in different periods and places (ACHHS164)
Use historical terms and concepts (ACHHS165)
Identify and select different kinds of questions about the past to inform historical inquiry (ACHHS166)
Evaluate and enhance these questions (ACHHS167)
Identify the origin, purpose and context of primary and secondary sources (ACHHS169)
Process and synthesise information from a range of sources for use as evidence in an historical argument (ACHHS170)
Evaluate the reliability and usefulness of primary and secondary sources (ACHHS171)
Identify and analyse the perspectives of people from the past (ACHHS172)

Year 10

Use historical terms and concepts (ACHHS183)
Identify and select different kinds of questions about the past to inform historical inquiry (ACHHS184)
Evaluate and enhance these questions (ACHHS185)
Identify the origin, purpose and context of primary and secondary sources (ACHHS187)
Process and synthesise information from a range of sources for use as evidence in an historical argument (ACHHS188)
Evaluate the reliability and usefulness of primary and secondary sources (ACHHS189)
Identify and analyse the perspectives of people from the past (ACHHS190)

English

Year 9

Investigate how evaluation can be expressed directly and indirectly using devices, for example allusion, evocative vocabulary and metaphor (ACELA1552)
Identify how vocabulary choices contribute to specificity, abstraction and stylistic effectiveness (ACELA1561)
Explore and reflect on personal understanding of the world and significant human experience gained from interpreting various representations of life matters in texts (ACELT1635)

Year 10

Understand that Standard Australian English in its spoken and written forms has a history of evolution and change and continues to evolve (ACELA1563)
Understand how language use can have inclusive and exclusive social effects, and can empower or disempower people (ACELA1564)
Understand that people’s evaluations of texts are influenced by their value systems, the context and the purpose and mode of communication (ACELA1565)
Compare the purposes, text structures and language features of traditional and contemporary texts in different media (ACELA1566)
Evaluate the impact on audiences of different choices in the representation of still and moving images (ACELA1572)
Compare and evaluate a range of representations of individuals and groups in different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1639)
Analyse and explain how text structures, language features and visual features of texts and the context in which texts are experienced may influence audience response (ACELT1641)
Evaluate the social, moral and ethical positions represented in texts (ACELT1812)
Analyse and evaluate how people, cultures, places, events, objects and concepts are represented in texts, including media texts, through language, structural and/or visual choices (ACELY1749)

Year 11 and 12

Explaining how texts are created in and for different contexts (ACEEN001)
Evaluating the choice of mode and medium in shaping the response of audiences, including digital texts. (ACEEN003)
Evaluating the impact of description and imagery, including figurative language, and still and moving images in digital and multimodal texts. (ACEEN007)
Purpose, taking into account that a text’s purpose is often open to debate (ACEEN008)
Personal, social and cultural context (ACEEN009)
The use of imaginative, persuasive and interpretive techniques. (ACEEN010)