'The relation between politics and culture is clear and real': how Gough Whitlam centred artists in his 1972 campaign

Gough Whitlam delivering the 1972 election policy speech at the Blacktown Civic Centre in Sydney, 1972. National Archives of Australia via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-NC-SA

As we enter the final week of the election campaign with its scrappy debates and breathlessly seized “gotcha” moments, the impact of Gough Whitlam’s electoral reforms can be seen at every stage.

From votes for 18-year-olds, senate representation in the ACT and Northern Territory, equal electorates and “one vote one value”, Whitlam’s commitment to full franchise and electoral equity remain central to our electoral process.