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home / archives / politics / australian / federal / 28th February 1975

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A vacant chair.

Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was beleaguered by internal scandals within the ruling Labor Party. Flouting convention, Whitlam had refused to support the Labor speaker Jim Cope when he named the notoriously disorderly Labor Minister Clyde Cameron. Jim Cope immediately resigned and left the Chair. Deputy Speaker Gordon Scholes leapt into the chair and remained in the Speaker's position until the next election.