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home / archives / politics / australian / federal / 12th November 1973
 

"Ming the Magnificent"

As Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam is declared to be the greatest by his wife Margaret, Victorian Premier, and Liberal, Sir Rupert Hamer disagrees as he gives Sir Robert Menzies - affectionately known as "Ming" - the accolade instead. Even now, Sir Robert Menzies is still regarded by many as one of Australia's greatest politicians.

Footnote: The exact origins of the phrase "Mandarins of Melbourne" are a little unclear, if you think of it as a local equivalent to phrases like "Gnomes of Zurich", you have got the right idea!