John Menadue

MEDIA ALERT. APPEAL IN PALACE LETTERS CASE TO BE HEARD ON WEDNESDAY, 28 NOVEMBER 2018

Professor Jenny Hockings long-running legal action against the National Archives ofAustralia, seeking the release of the secret Palace Letters about Gough Whitlamsdismissal, heads back to court tomorrow. Professor Hockings appeal against the FederalCourts ruling in March, which continued the Queens embargo over the letters, will beheard on Wednesday 28 November at 10.15 am in Court 1, Level 21, at the Federal Court ofAustralia, 184 Phillips Street, Sydney.
The appeal will be heard by the Full Court of the Federal Court, before Chief Justice Allsop,Justice Flick and Justice Robertson. Professor Hockings case will be led by respected Sydneybarrister Bret Walker S.C. with Tom Brennan, instructed by Corrs Chambers Westgarth.
Professor Hocking says; 'The Palace letters case is of the greatest importance, not only becauseit brings into the open the secret letters between the Governor-General and the Queen at thetime of Whitlam's dismissal, but also because it reasserts the principle of open access to vitalhistorical documents held byour National Archives, the most significant repository of ournational historical memory.
Read this press release for further quotes and information on the case.

Additional background to the case can also be found at: https://chuffed.org/project/release-the-palace-letters

John Menadue

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