Gough Whitlam was part of one of the most controversial moments of Australian political history, but his legacy and impact on the current prime minister cannot be so easily dismissed.
The Whitlam government was renowned for ushering in significant social and political reforms, which included establishing universal healthcare, making university free and advancing Indigenous land rights.
It also significantly advanced Australia's standing on the international stage, with Mr Whitlam the first prime minister to visit China as he established diplomatic relations with the communist country after coming to power.
Anthony Albanese said his own prime ministership tracked the Labor luminary's tenure in many ways as he reflected on the Whitlam government's achievements just weeks before the 50th anniversary of his dismissal.
He had re-imagined Australia's place in the world, and modern Australian history could be split into two, "post-Whitlam and pre-Whitlam", Mr Albanese said when launching a biography on the former prime minister on Friday.
Despite the significant number of major reforms attributed to his government, Mr Whitlam spent less than a full term in office after leading Labor to victory in December 1972, following more than two decades in the political wilderness.
His government was returned to power in 1974 but he was controversially dismissed by Governor-General John Kerr on November 11, 1975.
The influence of Mr Whitlam's legacy on Mr Albanese included walking in his footsteps during his 2023 visit to China with Foreign Minister Penny Wong, 50 years after the former prime minister's historic visit.
In 2024, Mr Albanese hosted leaders of all ASEAN member nations at a special summit to mark half a century of Australian partnerships, another legacy of the Whitlam government.
"And last month in Port Moresby, we celebrated the golden jubilee of Papua New Guinean independence," the prime minister added.
"Just as Gough famously declared that independence for PNG 'was an idea whose time had come' I was proud to say to Prime Minister Marape that elevating our relationship with PNG to the status of an alliance was an idea whose time had come."
Mr Albanese also reflected on the personal impact Mr Whitlam's policies had on him and his single mother, landmark reforms that have since become a core of Labor's platform.
"The single parent's pension made a real difference to my life," he said.
The permanency of improvements to healthcare access and "the idea that someone from my background could aspire to go to university" were important milestones, Mr Albanese added.
