‘We were bold but undisciplined’: Bill Hayden lauds Whitlam government as courageous and visionary

Bill Hayden wants the Whitlam government to be remembered as visionary with many enduring policy achievements but conceded that cab­inet was often tumultuous.

Former treasurer and governor-general Bill Hayden. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Bill Hayden wants the Whitlam government, elected 50 years ago this week, to be remembered as bold, courageous and visionary with many enduring policy achievements but conceded that cab­inet was often tumultuous, ­decisions were implemented too rapidly and ministers had lacked discipline.

“It was chaotic,” Mr Hayden told The Australian in an interview to mark the anniversary. “Gough Whitlam was always seated at the head of the (cabinet) table with ­papers in front of him … Someone would say something that was wrong and Gough would start swearing. Kim Beazley Sr, sitting on his right, would start mouthing prayers.

“He was not afraid to twist it in a way to make sure he won the vote. He would say, ‘You bastards are lucky you are here, so you should behave yourself’ … He should have been firmer with some of the ministers and they should have been better ­disciplined.”

Mr Hayden, 89, served as treasurer and social security minister in the Whitlam government. He succeeded Whitlam as Labor leader, served as foreign minister in the Hawke government and later as governor-general.

He and Doug McClelland, 96, are the last surviving Labor ministers from 1972. Paul Keating, 78, joined the Whitlam cabinet in Oct­ober 1975.

He spoke about establishing Australia’s first universal health scheme, Medibank, and increasing welfare support for single mothers, which gave women some financial independence, and helping to restore a degree of credibility with his ill-fated 1975 budget as his proudest achievements from the Whitlam government. “(Medibank) gave ordinary people a chance to have the best medical service available, and hospital care, and they did not have to worry about becoming indebted,” Mr Hayden said.

“It was their health that mattered and determined the outcome. It was one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. I had to fight for it for years. I had to fight the state governments who were opposed to it, apart from Don Dunstan in South Australia, the professional doctors, and all private health insurance funds were out against it.”

Whitlam was a “remarkable” leader who was “preparing all his life” to be prime minister, he said, praising his intellect, vision and “generosity of spirit” which infused the government’s policies.

Mr Hayden said the Whitlam years were the happiest of his time in politics.

“His legacy is intellectual, it is thought,” he explained. “We became a better educated community because of Gough. Gough was never afraid of a fight or an argument because he had an intellectual superiority. He would win.”

Mr Hayden recalled being confident Labor would win the election on December 2, 1972, and described outgoing prime minister Billy McMahon as “a disaster” who was out of his depth, but he became concerned about the pace of decisions being made by the government over three tumultuous years and recalled going home at night and turning on the radio and television to hear a list of decisions that had been made that day.

“Gough had good policies but the problem was they were implemented too rapidly,” he said.

“I thought we can’t keep going on like this and that Gough should have exercised more discipline over his ministers.”

The Whitlam government struggled to control rising inflation and unemployment as growth slowed, while implementing its policy agenda. Mr Hayden said the government did not have an effective partnership with the union movement and accused Bob Hawke, then ACTU president, of pushing for wage increases that were inflationary.

“We should have had a better relationship with the union movement,” he said. “But it wasn’t easy.

“Bob Hawke was there and always pushing for wage increases which were price inflationary … Gough knew nothing about economics or figures. And frankly, I found that Hawke wasn’t all that good either.”