Australia mourns its former PM

Social reformer Whitlam hailed for establishing relations with China

Gough Whitlam, a flamboyant Australian prime minister and controversial social reformer whose grip on power was cut short by a bitter constitutional crisis, died on Tuesday at the age of 98.

Although national leader for only three turbulent years until 1975, the legacy of Whitlam's Labor Party government remains to this day. Many of its legislative and social innovations, once regarded as radical, are now accepted as part of daily life.

Whitlam's four children said their father died in a Sydney nursing home. They described him as "a loving and generous father".

"He was a source of inspiration to us and our families and for millions of Australians," they said in a statement.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Whitlam "seemed, in so many ways, larger than life".

"Gough Whitlam was a giant of his time," Abbott said in a statement.

Abbott noted that Whitlam established diplomatic relations with China and became the first Australian prime minister to visit the country, which is now Australia's largest trading partner.

Current Labor leader, Bill Shorten, credited Whitlam with abolishing capital punishment and outlawing racial and sex discrimination.

Whitlam won the 1972 general election with the campaign slogan "It's time".