Guide to the Papers of Sir John Gorton

MS 7984

National Library of Australia


Date completed: December 1994
Last updated: February 2003


Collection Summary

Creator: Gorton, John, Sir, 1911-2002
Title: Papers of Sir John Gorton
Date Range: 1946-1995
Collection Number: MS 7984
Extent: 6.02 m. (43 boxes and 5 folios)
Repository: National Library of Australia

Introduction

Scope and Content

Apart from speeches and cuttings, there are relatively few papers dating from Gorton's early political career. For his three years as Prime Minister there are a number of subject files, a comprehensive set of speeches, press statements and transcripts of interviews, and cutting books, photograph albums and a large number of loose photographs. The later papers include correspondence files extending to about 1995, radio broadcasts, articles for newspapers, and newspaper cuttings.

Access

The collection is available for reference.

Provenance

The papers were presented to the National Library by Sir John Gorton in 1990, 1994 and 1995. Papers of a more official kind were placed in the Australian Archives.

Copying and Publishing

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissable 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred Citation

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Sir John Gorton, National Library of Australia, MS 7984, [series and/or folder number]'.

Biographical Note

Date Event
1911 Born, 9 September
1940-1944 RAAF Flight Lieutenant
1949-1968 Senator, Victoria
1958-1963 Minister for Navy
1960-1963 Assisting Minister For External Affairs
1962-1968 Minister in charge of CSIRO
1963-1966 Minister for Works and in charge of Commonwealth activities in Education and Research
1963-1964 Minister for the Interior
1966-67 Minister for Works
1966-1968 Minister for Education and Science
1968-1971 Prime Minister of Australia
1968-1975 MHR (Liberal) for Higgins, Vic
1971 Minister for Defence
2002 Died, Sydney, 19 May
References Who's who in Australia, 2001


Series List and Descriptions

Series 1 Biographical and personal material, 1963-1990

Box 1

Biographical notes, 1963-1980
Transcript of oral history interview for National Library, 1976
Personal miscellaneous file, 1968-1990
Commissions and certificates, 1963-1971
Gorton v. the Australian Broadcasting Commission and another, 1971-1974

Box 2

Entitlements as a former Prime Minister, 1971-1979
Letters of congratulation on award of A.C., 1988

Series 2 Early papers, 1946-1967

Box 2

Communist Party Referendum Bill, 1951
Loan Council and alleged loan cuts, 1952
Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, 1953-1956
Dossier on Communist sympathisers, 1956-1958
Government Members Committee on Taxation, 1957
Transport - Railways, 1958
Peace Congress, 1959
J.P. Maynes (Federated Clerks Union), 1961-1963

Box 3

Speeches, statements and articles, 1946-1967
Speeches on international affairs, 1950-1964
Speeches on international affairs, 1964-1967

Box 4

Speeches, statements and articles on education, 1964-1967

Series 3 Prime Ministership and after, 1967-1975

Subseries 3.1 General files

Box 4

Gorton-McEwen and Gorton-Anthony Governments: records of understanding, 1968-1971
Summary of first year as Prime Minister
Summary of first three years as Prime Minister
List of Gorton Government achievements, 1968-1970
Administrative arrangements, 1968-1969

Box 5

Notification papers of appointment to Privy Council, 1968
Programs for visits interstate, 1968-1971
Form letters, 1968-1970

Subseries 3.2 Speeches, statements and interviews

Box 5

Speeches and statements, 1968

Box 6

Speeches and statements, 1969
Speeches and statements, 1970

Box 7

Speeches and statements, 1971
Speeches and statements, 1972

Box 8

Speeches and statements, 1972
Speeches and statements, 1973

Box 9

Miscellaneous speeches, 1968-1971
Index of speeches, 1946-1973
Press conferences and TV interviews, 1968
Press conferences and TV interviews, 1969
Press conferences and TV interviews, 1971
TV interviews, 1972

Box 10

TV interviews, 1973
TV and radio interviews, 1975-1976

Subseries 3.3 Subject files

Box 10

Abortion, 1973
A.C.T. Representation Bill, 1973-1974
Arms for South Africa, 1970
Australian Council for the Arts, 1969-1970

Box 11

Australian Council for the Arts, 1969-1970
Australian Film Development Corporation, 1970
Barrier Reef, 1970-1975
Bulletin articles, 1968-1971
Lord Casey, 1968-1970
China, 1970-1973

Box 12

Cities Commission Bill, 1973 Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conferences, 1969-1971

Box 13

Defence - 'Fortress Australia', 1971
Education, 1972-1973
Family Law Bill, 1974-1975 Fraser challenge to Snedden for leadership of Liberal Party, 1974

Box 14

Fraser resignation from Gorton Ministry, 1971
David Hains, 1972
Homosexual Law Reform Bill, 1973
Jetair Australia Ltd, 1972
Land Tenures: Commission of Inquiry, 1973-1974

Box 15

Liberal Party, 1968-1974
Mineral Securities Australia Ltd, 1971-1972
Minerals exploration, 1973-1975

Box 16

Miscellaneous, A - H, 1969-1974
Miscellaneous, I - M, 1968-1975
Miscellaneous, N - R, 1968-1975

Box 17

Miscellaneous, S - Z, 1968-1975
National Film and Television School, 1970-1975

Box 18

Northern development projects: visit, 1968
Overseas investment, 1968-1975

Box 19

Papua New Guinea self-government, 1970
Parliament House: new building, 1969-1975
Parliamentary retirement allowances, 1973-1975
Petroleum, 1973-1975

Box 20

Premiers Conferences, 1969-1971
Regular Armed Forces: remuneration, 1970
Social services, 1972

Box 21

Senate elections, 1970-1974

Box 22

Territorial sea and continental shelf, 1970-1972

Box 23

Superannuation Scheme, 1974-1975
Supply: rejection by Senate, 1974-1975

Box 24

V.I.P. Aircraft, 1967-1969

Box 25

Vietnam War, 1965-1966
Denis Warner, 1970-1971
Whaling, 1973-1975
Eric White and Associates, 1969-1970
E.G. Whitlam, 1967-1973
R.W. Whitrod: appointment as Papua New Guinea Police Commissioner, 1969

Series 4 Later papers, 1975-1995

Subseries 4.1 Radio broadcasts and speeches

Box 26

Current affairs radio broadcasts, 1978 Current affairs radio broadcasts, 1979

Box 27

Current affairs radio broadcasts, 1979
Current affairs radio broadcasts, 1980

Box 28

Current affairs radio broadcasts, 1979
Current affairs radio broadcasts, 1980
Speeches, 1979

Subseries 4.2 Correspondence files

Box 29

Correspondence: B, 1975-1982
Correspondence: C, 1972-1982
Correspondence: D, 1978-1986
Correspondence: F, 1978-1986
Correspondence: G, 1977-1984
Get well messages, 1981
Correspondence: H, 1979-1986
Correspondence: J, 1976-1986
Correspondence: K, 1977-1983

Box 30

Correspondence: M, 1976-1983
Correspondence: O - P, 1976-1985
Correspondence: Q, 1974-1980
Correspondence: R, 1978-1985
Correspondence: S, 1974-1984
Correspondence: T, 1975-1986
Correspondence: U - V, 1979-1980
Correspondence: W, 1975-1983

Box 31

List of Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour, 1994 (* taken by Ainsley Gotto Carson on behalf of Gorton on 15 June 2000)
Correspondence: A, 1984-1995
Correspondence: B, 1985-1995
Correspondence: C, 1977-1995
Correspondence: D, 1977-1995
Correspondence: F, 1990-1995
Correspondence: G, 1986-1995
Correspondence: H, 1984-1995

Box 32

Correspondence: J, 1986-1989
Correspondence: K, 1988-1993
Correspondence: L, 1987-1994
Correspondence: M, 1988-1995
Correspondence: O, 1989-1995
Correspondence: P, 1982-1995
Correspondence: Q-R, 1988-1995
Correspondence: S, 1977-1994
Correspondence: T, 1988-1995
Correspondence: U, 1988-1989
Correspondence: V, 1987
Correspondence: W, 1982-1992

Subseries 4.3 Subject files

Box 33

Commonwealth-State relations, 1973-1981
Constitution, c. 1978
Drugs, 1978-1989
Marijuana, 1976-1984
Useful information, 1974-1986
Wayback Committee, 1980-1985

Series 5 Writings, 1972-1978

Box 34

Book and articles negotiations, 1972-1978
'I did it my way' articles

Series 6 Newspaper cuttings, 1958-1978

See also folio 4.

Box 35

Cutting album, 1958-1967
Cutting album, 1967-1968

Box 36

Cuttings, 1968-1975
Cuttings on resignation as Prime Minister, 1971
Cuttings, 1978

Series 7 Photograph albums and photographs, 1959-1989

See also folios 1-3 and 5.

Box 37

Visit to South East Asia, 1968
Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, Singapore, 1971
Housing and Development Board, Singapore
HMS Ark Royal
Visit to HMAS Cerebus, June 1959

Box 38

Visit to United States Naval Academy, March 1963
State visit to Australia by President Park Hung Hee of Korea, September 1968
Anti-submarine Warfare Force, United States Pacific Fleet, 1963
Gemini XI Earth-Sky view photograph
Visit to Singapore, June 1968

Box 39

Visit to Indonesia, 1968
Visit by Mrs Gorton to residence of Ambassador to Indonesia (Canberra), 1970
Mrs Gorton, visit to Indonesia, 14th June 1968
University of Wollongong, Graduation Ceremony, 8th Dec 1989

Box 40

Loose photographs

Box 41

Loose photographs

Box 42

Loose photographs

Box 43

Loose photographs

Series 8 Miscellaneous items

Box 43

Cassettes
Cartoon
Bible used in swearing Oath of Allegiance, 10 Dec. 1958 (taken by Ainsley Gotto Carson on behalf of JJG on 15 June 2000)

Folio Items

Folio Box 1

Photograph album, 1959-1967

Folio Box 2

Loose photographs
Photograph album
Companion of Honour certificate, 1971 (taken by Ainsley Gotto Carson on behalf of JJG on 9 June 2000)

Folio Box 3

Cartoon, photograph

Folio Box 4

Cutting book, 1968-1994

Folio Box 5

Commemorative photograph albums: visit to Japan, May 6-9 1970; visit to Malaysia, June 11-13, 1968