DescriptionThis is report by Heritage Consultant Kate Higgins and her assessment of the heritage significance of the home of the former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and his family located at 32 Albert Street, Cabramatta.
The report was commissioned by Fairfield City Council to determine whether the property had State level heritage significance.
AuthorKate HigginsTypePaperworkDate14/02/2020RightsFairfield City CouncilAcknowledgementKate HigginsNotesThe Honourable Edward Gough Whitlam AC QC Gough Whitlam had great attachment to his community and actively sought to improve amenities and services. This included his work in drawing up the legal paperwork to establish Cabra-Vale Diggers Club, which is still a major institution in Cabramatta today. He also started the planning process for the
existing Cumberland Highway and delivered a sewerage system to Western Sydney.
The Whitlams lived on Albert Street, Cabramatta, from 1957 in a house that still stands
today and he represented the electorate of Werriwa for more than 25 years. Mr Whitlam’s wife, Margaret, was also strongly involved in the community. Her lobbying led to the opening of the first swimming pool in the area, where she served as President
and worked as a swimming instructor.
Gough Whitlam said it was his direct experience of life in the sprawling western suburbs that inspired him to address the problems of urban Australia once in government. He never lost his passion or empathy for working Australians or the area he lived in.
Kate Higgins, Assessment of Heritage Significance : Whitlam Family Home (14/02/2020). Fairfield City Heritage Collection, accessed 19/03/2026, https://heritagecollection.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/4446
