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Clerk of the Senate's Office

See the Clerk of the Senate's office as it was on the day of the 1975 dismissal.

Location

Main floor

Step back in time to the Clerk of the Senate's office on Tuesday 11 November 1975, the day the Whitlam government was dismissed. Clerk of the Senate James Odgers' final duty that afternoon was to witness the Governor-General's proclamation dissolving parliament on the steps of Parliament House. It was a day Odgers later called the 'most dramatic' of his entire career. 

Explore the office where this top bureaucrat worked to keep the Senate running smoothly. See his wig and gown, the 1975 Budget document, the large John Smith Murdoch–designed desk originally used by the President of the Senate, and even a private ensuite bathroom. 

Clerk of the Senate James Odgers wearing a black gown and white wig sits on his desk at Old Parliament House around 1976.
David Smith reads the dismissal proclamation outside Parliament House in 1975. Gough Whitlam stands behind him amongst a huge crowd. Reporters hold microphones.

Official Secretary to the Governor-General David Smith reads the proclamation dissolving parliament witnessed by just-dismissed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and Clerk of the Senate James Odgers (wearing a wig and gown). Photograph Canberra Times, Australian Community Media


Thank you  

The recreation of the Clerk of the Senate's office was made possible by the generous support of donors to MoAD's 2024 Annual Appeal. 

An old-fashioned grey typewriter sits on a desk next to a wooden try with documents in it.
A pair of glasses rest of documents including one titled, 'The Budget 1975-76'.
A wood-framed TV with an image of Gough Whitlam sits on a wood cabinet. A black gown and white wig hang next to the TV.