Prompt Cast
Controversial Prime Ministers of Australia and their Downfalls
TLDR Harold Holt's close relationship with LBJ and John Gorton's inappropriate behavior marked their tenures as Prime Minister, while William McMahon's unpopularity and Gough Whitlam's refusal to implement austerity measures led to their downfalls. Malcolm Fraser's bizarre incident in a Memphis hotel added to the controversial and divisive period in Australian history.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Harold Holt, Australia's Prime Minister, was known for his enthusiasm for Vietnam and his close relationship with LBJ, which was viewed as servile and demeaning by Australians.
04:10
Harold Holt, Australia's Prime Minister, drowned off the Victorian coast and there are theories that he was either a Chinese spy or murdered by the Viet Cong, but the memorial to him is a swimming centre in Melbourne.
08:20
John Gorton, an Australian Prime Minister, had a French lifestyle and was a war hero who survived multiple crashes and had to have his face rebuilt due to scarring.
12:26
John Gorton, a war hero and anti-communist, becomes the new liberal party leader and prime minister, but his tenure is marked by inappropriate behavior, including getting drunk with the American ambassador and touching Liza Minnelli inappropriately. He also promotes the Australian film industry but is eventually stabbed in the back by his own party.
16:43
William McMahon, described as a blend of cautious innovation and fundamental orthodoxy, faced suspicions of being gay, was hated by everyone in Australian politics, and was considered Australia's worst prime minister.
21:23
Goff Whitlam, a patrician figure and former leader of the Labour Party, appeals to both suburban middle-class voters and traditional Labour supporters, and gains support from media magnate Rupert Murdoch, while also taking dramatic and unexpected steps such as visiting China before Nixon.
25:35
Gough Whitlam is a charismatic and self-confident leader who implements various progressive policies, such as abolishing conscription, pulling troops out of Vietnam, and addressing injustices against Aboriginal Australians, but his agenda is ultimately undermined by the oil shock and his refusal to implement austerity measures.
29:38
Gough Whitlam's government is undermined by a financial crisis involving Rex Connor and a Pakistani commodities dealer, leading to a constitutional crisis in which Whitlam's government is blocked from getting supply by the Senate, ultimately resulting in his downfall.
33:54
Whitlam is sacked by Governor General John Kerr and Malcolm Fraser becomes the new Prime Minister, leading to a controversial and divisive period in Australian history.
37:58
Malcolm Fraser, the former Prime Minister of Australia, is famously remembered for being discovered in a Memphis hotel without trousers, in a state of confusion, after allegedly being the victim of a practical joke or a visit to a lady of the night.
Categories:
History
