 Kutevera 1974 Carnation Revolution, Portugal yakatanga muitiro we decolonisation uye yakatanga kubvisa kubva kuPortuguese Timor yakazozivikanwa seEast Timor. Vanhu vokuAustralia vakanga vava nenguva yakareba vachida nyika iyi; nyika iyi yakanga yatumira mauto kunharaunda iyi muHondo Yenyika II, uye vanhu vakawanda vokuEast Timor vakanga varwa nemaJapan vari mapoka evapanduki. Muna September 1974, Whitlam akasangana naPurezidhendi weIndonesia, Suharto, muIndonesia uye akaratidza kuti aizotsigira Indonesia kana ikabatanidza East Timor. Panguva yaipisa zvikuru Hondo Yemashoko uye nokuenda shure kweAmerica kubva kuIndo-China, akanzwa kuti kana ikabatanidzwa muIndonesia, nharaunda yacho yaizova yakagadzikana zvikuru, uye Australia yaisazoisa mungozi kuva neboka reEast Timorese FRETILIN, iro vazhinji vaitya kuti raiva remakomonisiti, rakasvika musimba. Whitlam anotaura kuti akaudza nesimba Purezidhendi weIndonesia Suharto kuti vaEast Timor vaiva nekodzero yokusarudza mugumo wekoloni kupfurikidza nokuzvisarudzira. Indonesia yakapinda muEast Timor muna December 1975, ndokuitorakusvikira pakuvhota kworusununguko rwa1999. 