Tony Whitlam

Antony Philip Whitlam QC (born 7 January 1944) is an Australian lawyer who has served as a politician and judge. He is the son of Gough Whitlam (former Prime Minister) and Margaret Whitlam.

The Honourable Tony Whitlam QC
Member of the Australian Parliament for Grayndler
In office 13 December 1975 – 10 December 1977
Preceded by	Fred Daly
Succeeded by	Frank Stewart
Justice of the Federal Court of Australia
In office 1 January 1993 – 1 May 2005
Additional Judge of the Supreme Court of the ACT
In office 7 April 1995 – 30 April 2005
Personal details
Born	7 January 1944 Sydney, New South Wales
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Relations	Fred Whitlam (grandfather) Gough Whitlam (father) Margaret Whitlam (mother) Nicholas Whitlam (brother) Stephen Whitlam (brother) Catherine Dovey (sister)
Alma mater	Australian National University
Occupation	Lawyer

Early life and education

Whitlam was born in Elizabeth Bay, Sydney,[1] and educated at Sydney Boys High School (1956–60)[2] and the Australian National University in Canberra, where he graduated in law.

Career

Early legal career

Whitlam was called to the New South Wales bar in 1967.[3]

In 1973, he became South-east Asia regional counsel for Rank Xerox.[4]

Political career

After several unsuccessful runs for preselection, Whitlam was elected in 1975 to the House of Representatives seat of Grayndler in central Sydney.[5][6][7][8] His father Gough Whitlam was at that time the Leader of the Labor Party and had just been dismissed as Prime Minister by the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr. Labor was heavily defeated but Tony Whitlam easily won Grayndler. He became only the second federal MP to serve in the House at the same time as his father. He is also the only child of an Australian Prime Minister to be a federal MP (Kevin and Brendan Lyons, sons of Prime Minister Joseph Lyons, were Tasmanian state MPs).

In 1977, there was a redistribution of electoral boundaries in New South Wales, and the Division of Lang, adjoining Grayndler, was abolished. Whitlam ceded Labor preselection to the sitting Labor MP for Lang, Frank Stewart and stood for another seat, the marginal Liberal seat of St George, where he was defeated at the December 1977 election by the sitting Liberal member, Maurice Neil.[9][10]

He attempted a return to federal politics in 1979, but was defeated in a preselection battle for the seat of Grayndler.[11]

During his time as a member of the Federal ALP Caucus he got to vote for his father as leader twice, the first in January 1976 the month after the 1975 election defeat and in May 1977 when Bill Hayden launched an unsuccessful challenge against Gough.

He returned to the Sydney bar, where he had a successful career.

Judicial appointments

Whitlam was appointed a judge of the Federal Court of Australia in 1993. In 1995 he was also appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory.[12] Whitlam was one of only six politicians to have served in both the Parliament of Australia and the Federal Court of Australia, alongside Nigel Bowen, Robert Ellicott, Merv Everett, John Reeves and Duncan Kerr.

After retiring from his judgeships, Whitlam returned again to the bar.[3]

References

1. Hocking, Jenny (2008). Gough Whitlam: A Moment in History, Volume 1. The Miegunyah Press. p. 93. ISBN 9780522855111. Retrieved 27 March 2012.
2. "Members of parliament and legislatures" (PDF). Sydney High School Old Boys Union. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
3. "Barristers - The Hon. Antony Whitlam QC". Sixth Floor. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
4. "Whitlam Appointed". The Sydney Morning Herald. Google News Archive. 11 December 1973. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
5. "Tussle in ALP over choice of candidate". The Sydney Morning Herald. Google News Archive. 15 July 1973. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
6. "Parliamentary Handbook. Historical Information" (PDF). PARLIAMENTARY HANDBOOK OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALI. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
7. "Parliamentary Handbook". Parliament of Australia. p. 319. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
8. "Grayndler – Election 2010". The Tally Room. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
9. "Tony Whitlam "Favoured" in Ballot". The Sydney Morning Herald. Google News Archive. 16 October 1977. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
10. "Neil claims support by migrants". The Sydney Morning Herald. Google News Archive. 12 December 1977. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
11. The Age, 14 May 1979, p. 5
12. "Chronological Index of the Judges of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory". Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory. Archived from the original on 16 May 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2010.