Gough Whitlam deceived by Sir John before dismissal: Keating

PAUL Keating suspects John Kerr had settled on a resolution to the political crisis of 1975 before he dismissed Gough Whitlam.

PAUL Keating suspects John Kerr had settled on a resolution to the political crisis of November 1975 at least five days before he dismissed the Whitlam government.

Keating, who was minister for Northern Australia at the time, did not know whether this resolution would be for or against the government's position, but he was sure the governor-general had made up his mind.

Speaking exclusively to The Weekend Australian, Keating says he was at Government House with Kerr and Gough Whitlam for an executive council meeting on the Thursday prior to the dismissal.

Kerr had two meetings: one with Whitlam and another with Whitlam and Keating together. This was the last time Whitlam met Kerr before he was dismissed on November 11.

Keating says the rapport and joviality between them meant Kerr was deceiving Whitlam.

When Whitlam and Keating got into the car to return to Parliament House, Keating said, "He seems all right", to which Whitlam replied, "He's entirely proper. He'll do the right thing."

Keating says the key point is that Kerr rejected the advice High Court judge Anthony Mason gave relevant to the prerogatives of the sitting prime minister: that the governor-general should apprise the prime minister of his intentions.

And those intentions were that he would dismiss the government were the prime minister not to advise a general election to resolve the deadlock.

Keating says because he was with Whitlam the last time he saw Kerr, he knew on the Tuesday that Kerr had hatched a coup: "A manoeuvre beyond the bounds of convention and the reasonable exercise of the reserve powers," Keating said.

Keating, a minister for three weeks under Whitlam, would serve as treasurer in the Hawke government from 1983 to 1991 and as prime minister from 1991 to 1996.