Doorstop Interview – Sydney | Prime Minister of Australia
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: It is fantastic to be here 50 years to the day when Gough Whitlam declared himself as the Prime Minister of Australia. The Whitlam Government changed our nation, modernised our nation, laid the foundations for the best healthcare system in the world, opened up educational opportunities, changed the way that investment happened in our suburbs, advanced Indigenous reconciliation, and changed our relationship with the world. It is a very proud moment to be here for this restoration and the preservation, for all time, of a part of Australia’s history. And it is important that we recognise our history, that we preserve it, and that we honour it for all Australians. And the Whitlam Institute and Western Sydney University will be able to do that into the future.
JOURNALIST: Your family home, Camperdown, might that be next?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it is public housing already, of course. It is still there. But I do drive past there very regularly. And there’s a lovely person lives there and it is now her home. And I think that it is important that we recognise our history.
JOURNALIST: You spoke about what Gough’s legacy, obviously, meant for you and your family. What feeling do you have when you walk through these halls?
PRIME MINISTER: It’s just a sense of honour that someone who was here celebrating with neighbours and the true believers with the hills hoist. It’s a very humble home. The Whitlams were big on vision, but big in size as well. And you look at the size of the bedrooms there, where they were crowded in. And it just shows that it is a great country where people of humble background living here in the suburbs made a difference for all of the neighbours and the communities that have come to make Western Sydney their home.