Episode 40: Jenny Hocking on her explosive new book, “The Palace Letters”

Photo Credit: Janusz Molinski

What did the Palace know about The Dismissal by Sir John Kerr of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in 1975 and when? These are questions that the Australian public has wanted answered for some time. Thanks to Professor Jenny Hocking, who took on National Archives in the courts, challenging its decision to deny her access to correspondence between the Governor-General and the Palace on the basis that it was “personal”, and ultimately won in the High Court, all Australians can now see for themselves. Here Hocking discusses her riveting new book, The Palace Letters, which describes her David-and- Goliath battle with National Archives and argues that the correspondence she finally got her hands on makes it clear that , contrary to previous assertions, the Palace knew about the Dismissal in advance.

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