A moment in time achieved by Garry McDonald, aka the hapless Norman Gunston, and his film crew bolting from lunch at a Chinese restaurant in Cremorne in Sydney to Canberra in a Fokker Friendship plane upon hearing that Gough Whitlam had been dismissed as Prime Minister by Sir John Kerr, going onto the steps of Parliament House with his trademark ambush interview style, most notably with Bob Hawke and Bill Hayden, who had a laugh with Gunston during one of the most serious political crises in Australian history.

In America they send in the National Guard in times of great political crisis.

In Australia we send in a fictional reporter with a comb over.

Another interesting part of this story – The footage of Gunston in the midst of The Dismissal didn’t go to air on The Norman Gunston Show (Episode 7 of Season 2) on the ABC until December of 1975, right around the time of the Federal election won in a landslide by Malcolm Fraser’s government.

“What I want to know, is this an affront to the Constitution of this country?”

“YES!”

“Or was it just a stroke of good luck for Mr Fraser?”

“NO!”

“Thanks very much, just want to know.”

Another hidden piece of comedy in the video is McDonald/Gunston pronouncing Fraser as ‘Frazier’, intentionally mistaking him for Smokin’ Joe Frazier, very much in keeping with the Gunston character.

“You couldn’t do it now, they wouldn’t let you anywhere near the steps of Parliament House. But it is interesting that people were willing to laugh on that day. But I also think it was because it was so such a shock… people thought that ‘This is a bit surreal. It’s going to be overturned.” – Garry McDonald, November 11 2025