Gough Whitlam made a "terrible mistake" by assuming the governor-general would allow him to continue leading the nation, former prime minister John Howard says, 50 years on from the dismissal that defined Australian politics for decades.

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Mr Whitlam was dismissed on the front steps of Old Parliament House on November 11, 1975, over a deadlock which could have seen Australia run out of money for crucial services.

Liberal leader Malcolm Fraser had refused to pass Mr Whitlam's budget, leading to a constitutional crisis Governor-General Sir John Kerr resolved by firing the prime minister and appointing Mr Fraser to the role.

Mr Howard, who was a

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