MELBOURNE -- The death of former prime minister Gough Whitlam was felt far and wide by Australia yesterday.
Leading the Labor Party to victory in the 1972 after 23 years of conservative rule, Whitlam's legacy lives on in the mind of progressives, who paid tribute to his landmark achievements, including universal health care and the recognition of Aboriginal land rights.
Rest in Peace Gough Whitlam. The Prime Minister we had to have.— George Megalogenis (@GMegalogenis) October 20, 2014
But not all tributes were so well-received, such as the following post shared via social media by Greens senator Lee Rhiannon. It featured a portrait of Whitlam, complete with the Greens' logo and branding.
"The appropriation of Gough Whitlam's political legacy on the day of his death is nothing short of grave robbing on the part of the Greens," Labor backbencher Tim Watts told Fairfax Media.
Labor and Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten also weighed in, expressing his displeasure at what he saw as political maneuvering. "How dare the Greens pretend to be what they are not?" he told reporters. "I've spoken to [Greens leader] Christine Milne; I've asked her to take it down, it's just wrong."
But Deputy Greens Leader Adam Bandt defended Rhiannon's post, claiming the party was simply honouring the legacy of a public figure. "The Greens were paying tribute to a political giant," he said. "One of the things about yesterday, especially in parliament, was that it crossed political lines, there were people from all sides of politics paying tribute to him."
Not everybody was buying Bandt's explanation, however, with some taking to Twitter to wonder where exactly the Greens might draw the line.
The Gough thing was bad enough but now the Greens have really gone too far. #auspol pic.twitter.com/sLFrtv2Pgq— Joe Hildebrand (@Joe_Hildebrand) October 22, 2014