Michelle Grattan's front row seat to the drama of the dismissal

When Governor John Kerr sacked Prime Minister Gough Whitlam on 11 November 1975, Michelle Grattan was a young reporter for The Age.

The dismissal had been brewing with a government pushing through change at breakneck speed, and a series of scandals surrounding key figures. 

Michelle remembers absolute pandemonium unfolding as shock waves from this historic event ricocheted across the country. 

• Guest: Michelle Grattan, chief political correspondent at The Conversation.