WA Premier Colin Barnett has said that while he changed Australia's thinking and modernised Australia, Gough Whitlam should not be remembered as "a great prime minister".

Mr Whitlam died on Tuesday morning aged 98 and tributes have flowed from both sides of the political spectrum, with Prime Minister Tony Abbott describing him as a "giant of his time".

"I don't want to be miserable about it but he ended up with a government in chaos, it was absolute chaos, he didn't lead his government well," said the WA Premier of the late Gough Whitlam. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Barnett said he had just graduated from university when Mr Whitlam was elected prime minister, and his scrapping of conscription saved Mr Barnett from going to the Vietnam War.