Thirty Years On, McMahon Condemned By Former Colleagues

January 1, 2002

Sir William McMahon, Prime Minister 1971-72 The former Liberal Prime Minister, Sir William McMahon, has been condemned by former colleagues, following the release of Federal Cabinet papers from 1971. The former National Party leader, Doug Anthony, who served as Deputy Prime Minister under McMahon between 1971-72, asked to assess McMahon, is quoted today as saying: "You'd have to put Billy McMahon at the bottom of the ladder."

Cabinet documents are secret for 30 years. They are released on January 1 each year, providing an insight into Cabinet discussions, ministerial submissions, policy decisions and relations between ministers and prime ministers.

McMahon is the Prime Minister who took the coalition parties out of office in 1972, after 23 years in government, 16 of them under the leadership of Sir Robert Menzies. McMahon lost the "It's Time" election to the ALP's Gough Whitlam.

The Cabinet papers also shed some light on the conservative government's policies on China, nuclear defence, Vietnam and Apartheid.

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