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The Whitlam government was replaced by the opposition Liberal Party after he failed to get a budget through the Parliament. Sir John was Queen Elizabeth II’s representative in the country and whilst having the right to make such a decision, it was highly controversial. For a time, there was debate as to whether the Queen should remind the head of state or Australia in the Commonwealth of Nations.
But months later, Malcolm Fraser's centre-right Liberal Party overwhelmingly won a majority.
Letters written by the Queen about the events can be made public, an Australian court has ruled.
It is not known what the letters between Her Majesty and Sir John contain.
The ruling concerns more than 200 letters stored in the Australian National Archive.
In the judgement the court voted 6-1 in favour of making the letters public.
The letters are from before and after the controversial episode.
They are between Sir John, the Queen, and her personal secretary.
Professor Jenny Hocking, a local historian, has been campaigning to have the letters released.
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She described the decisions to release the letters as an "important decision".
Local media report she plans on travelling from Melbourne to Canberra to access the letter once coronavirus related restrictions are lifted.
Ms Hocking told Channel 7 News: "It's a wonderful decision for transparency, for accountability of government, but most importantly it's a really, really important decision for knowing the full story of the dismissal of the Whitlam Government.
“It's a story that has been absolutely clouded in secrecy, in distortion and in so much unknown.
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“And with this decision, one of those last remaining areas of secrecy and great unknown will be released to the Australian public.”
Buckingham Palace released a statement to say: "This is not the sort of thing we would comment on.”
Australia is a Commonwealth realm, one of 16 independent, sovereign nations in which Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state.
The United Kingdom is, of course, another.
The Queen has visited Australia several times with the most recent trip coming in March 2006.
Mr Whitlam would spend the rest of his political career in opposition.
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He died in 2014, aged 98.
His Labor Party would regain control of Australia in 1983 until 1996.
The party was last in power from 2007 until 2013.