The 1975 dismissal of then-prime minister Gough Whitlam by the governor-general has sparked decades of controversy and spurred a conversation about having an Australian head of state.

TIMELINE

* December 2, 1972 - The Whitlam Labor government sweeps to power, ending more than two decades of coalition rule.

* July 11, 1974 - Sir John Kerr becomes the 18th governor-general and served until December 1977.

* July 3, 1975 - A letter sent to the sovereign's private secretary Martin Charteris revealed Sir John that he had no intention of dismissing the government after including an editorial from The Canberra Times on the issue.

* September 12, 1975 - Sir John wrote to Queen Elizabeth II discussing the governor-general's powers.

* October-November 1975 - then-opposition leader Malcolm Frase

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