The tributes for the former prime minister flowed freely, from Whitlam's surviving contemporaries and rivals, to his proteges and admirers. Supporters and foes acknowledged Whitlam had the poise and gravitas of a natural statesman, that he was articulate and that he passionately pursued his goals of serving and improving Australia.

After ending 23 years of conservative rule, Whitlam drove major expansions in public health and education, built relations with China, ended conscription and reformed marriage law.

But for the Labor Party, a line was crossed on Wednesday, with the Greens releasing an internet meme linking the Whitlam government's abolition of university fees in 1974 with their party and its policy of opposing university fees.

Coming a day after Whitlam's death, it was too much for Labor leader Bill Shorten, who said the meme is "just wrong" and asked Greens leader Christine Milne to take it down. His frontbench colleague Anthony Albanese said the Greens were being "cheap, opportunistic and offensive" to make such a link, and Labor backbencher Tim Watts accused the Greens of "grave robbing".

It should come as no surprise, however, that contemporary politicians would seek to link themselves with Whitlam and his landmark government.

Indeed, it is clear that with such a range of achievements, those paying tribute to Whitlam and his government have been able to cherry-pick the ones that most suit them.

For former prime minster Kevin Rudd, Whitlam's achievements in China and acknowledgment of Aboriginal Australians were most deserving of recognition.

His statement highlighted Whitlam's "profound foresight" in recognising China and "instinctive embrace of indigenous Australians", neatly reflecting the Mandarin speaker's ongoing interest in Australia's relations with China and his own legacy of an apology to the Stolen Generations, which was a clear landmark of his own time in government.

In her reflections on Whitlam's prime ministership, former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard judged the greatest lesson lay in recognising the importance of aggressively pursuing reforms, even at the expense of popularity.

"Because of what he did between 1972 and 1975, our leaders will always be judged on whether we drive for major change, not how deftly we manage 'more of the same'," she said.

It's a view that certainly suits a prime minister who pushed ahead with unpopular carbon and mining taxes and was quickly dumped from office.

For former Liberal prime minister John Howard, who clearly did not agree with the majority of Whitlam's policies, the Labor prime minister's strengths lay in the opposite direction from Gillard: his rival's ability to reform his party and make it electable.

"The election victory of 1972 was his greatest achievement. He led the Labor Party back into government, after the wasteland of 23 years of opposition," he said in his statement.

For Howard, the pragmatic politician who led his government to four election victories, it was one achievement that couldn't be questioned.

Whitlam was a great Labor leader, but his legacy is so great and so deep that the Labor Party is going to have a difficult time trying to control it.

Damien Nowicki is producer for Fairfax Media's federal politics coverage. 

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