CANBERRA, ACT, Nov. 11 -- The Treasurer of Australia issued the following transcript:
Note
Subjects: 50th anniversary of the dismissal of the Whitlam government
Sally Sara:
Broadcasting from Old Parliament House, a jogger's gone past who says that he's the Treasurer of the country. Jim Chalmers, welcome to Breakfast.
Jim Chalmers:
Thanks, Sally. I'm feeling a bit underdressed for the occasion.
Sara:
Yeah, we just grabbed you for a couple. How significant is today, do you think?
Chalmers:
It's a massive day in the history of our country, the history of our democracy. A very dark day. But a day 50years ago which I think means a lot to Australians because it showed that our democracy can be fragile, and that the onus is on all of us to strengthen it where we can. And I think in the 50years since, we've learned a lot about ourselves. And most of all, I think we've come to appreciate from Gough's time in office, not just the way it ended - as spectacularly controversial as that was - but his mountainous achievements. Before Paul and Bob modernised the economy, Gough modernised our society, sort of dragged it into modern times. And for that we owe him an enormous debt of gratitude.
Sara:
What's the cautionary tale of those events?
Chalmers:
I think it's been pretty well canvassed that that was not the best‑run government. It had a massive vision, it had a leader like we'd never seen before, with a lot to do, and all of those things are essential ingredients of a great government, but you also need to make sure that you're running the place in an orderly way. And I think governments since then have learned that lesson.
Sara:
Well, Treasurer, thanks for popping in in the middle of your run this morning. We better let you go, otherwise you're going to get cold.
Chalmers:
It's a good excuse to take a breather.
Sara:
Thanks so much, Treasurer.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
