Rebuke to a High Flyer

When full-scale national election campaigning began three months ago, the ruling Liberal coalition was expected to have little difficulty protecting its majority of 38 in the 125-seat Parliament. Last week, with the final votes still being counted, it was apparent that the Liberals held power--but only just. In the closest tally in years, the opposition Labor Party seemed likely to trim Prime Minister John Gorton's comfortable margin to at best a half-dozen seats.

Almost as soon as the campaigning began, it became apparent that the most important issue of the election was the P.M. himself. Gorton, 58, took over the party's leadership 21 months ago, after the disappearance of Harold Holt in a tragic swimming accident. Initially, Gorton was immensely popular. He seemed a refreshing change from his two most immediate predecessors: the aloof, Olympian Sir Robert Menzies and the shy. withdrawn Holt. Then troubles began to pile up. Critics cited his penchant for naming unqualified cronies to high ministerial posts, his reluctance to take advice, his generally autocratic manner, and his indiscreet behavior.

Making Headlines. An R.A.A.F. World War II hero, Gorton had a habit of flying high. He made headlines when he showed up late one evening at the U.S. embassy, a 19-year-old girl in tow, and spent the next several hours all but ignoring U.S. officials in favor of an enthusiastic tete-`a-tete with the young lady. A short time before, he had carelessly leaked word of the U.S. bombing halt in Viet Nam before the news had been released in Washington. The White House was annoyed, and so were Gorton's fellow Liberals.

In contrast to Gorton's unquestioning support for American policy in Viet Nam, the Laborites made it clear that they would pull all 8,000 Aussie troops out of Viet Nam by June--and out of Southeast Asia reasonably soon. Labor Leader Gough Whitlam, 53, laid out a program of social reforms, including a free health scheme and free university education at a cost of $15.6 million a year, and an emergency school grant of $112 million to cover immediate needs. His emphasis on domestic issues, which normally take second place in Australian elections to foreign affairs, appealed to the young voters. So did his wit. Once, when Gorton boasted that he wrote his own speeches. Whitlam retorted: "I have listened to the Prime Minister's speeches and I believe him."

In the end. Labor increased its share of the vote to 48.1%. That represented an impressive 8.1% increase over its 1966 snowing, but was not quite enough. The closeness of the vote was a rebuke to Gorton, and as the week ended, several leading party members announced their refusal to serve under the P.M. There was widespread speculation that Gorton was on his way out.

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