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The Palace Letters: The Queen, the governor-general, and the plot to dismiss Gough Whitlam - Softcover
Synopsis
What role did the queen play in the governor-general Sir John Kerr’s plans to dismiss prime minister Gough Whitlam in 1975, which unleashed one of the most divisive episodes in Australia’s political history? And why weren’t we told?
Under the cover of being designated as private correspondence, the letters between the queen and the governor-general about the dismissal have been locked away for decades in the National Archives of Australia, and embargoed by the queen potentially forever. This ruse has furthered the fiction that the queen and the Palace had no warning of or role in Kerr’s actions.
In the face of this, Professor Jenny Hocking embarked on a four-year legal battle to force the Archives to release the letters. In 2015, she mounted a crowd-funded campaign, securing a stellar pro bono team that took her case all the way to the High Court of Australia.
Now, drawing on never-before-published material from Kerr’s archives and her submissions to the court, Hocking traces the collusion and deception behind the dismissal, and charts the private role of High Court judges, the queen’s private secretary, and the leader of the opposition, Malcolm Fraser, in Kerr’s actions, and the prior knowledge of the queen and Prince Charles.
Hocking also reveals the obstruction, intrigue, and duplicity she faced, raising disturbing questions about the role of the National Archives in preventing access to its own historical material and in enforcing royal secrecy over its documents.
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The Palace Letters (Paperback)
Published by
Scribe Publications, Carlton North, 2020
ISBN 10: 1922310247
ISBN 13: 9781922310248
New
Paperback
Seller: Grand Eagle Retail, Bensenville, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. A political betrayal.A constitutional crisis.A hidden correspondence.Gough Whitlam was a progressive prime minister whose reign from 1972 proved tumultuous after 23 years of conservative government in Australia. After a second election victory in May 1974, when a hostile Senate refused to vote on his 1975 budget, the political deadlock that ensued culminated in Whitlam's unexpected and deeply controversial dismissal by the governor-general, Sir John Kerr.Kerr was in close touch with the Palace during this period, but, under the cover of being designated as personal, that correspondence was locked away in the National Archives, and embargoed by the Queen - potentially forever. This ruse denied the Australian people access to critical information about one of the most divisive episodes in the nation's history.In the face of this, Professor Jenny Hocking embarked on what would become a ten-year campaign and a four-year legal battle to force the Archives to release the letters. In May 2020, despite being opposed by the Archives, Buckingham Palace, and the full resources of the federal government, she won her historic case in the High Court.The Palace Letters is the ground-breaking account of her indomitable fight. Drawing on material from the Palace letters, Kerr's archives, and her submissions to the courts, Hocking traces the collusion and deception behind the dismissal, and charts the secret role of High Court judges, the leader of the opposition, Malcolm Fraser, and the Queen's private secretary in fostering and supporting Kerr's actions.Hocking also reveals the obstruction, intrigue, and duplicity she faced during her campaign, raising disturbing questions about the role of the National Archives in fighting access to these historic letters and in enforcing, against Australia's national interests, royal secrecy over its own documents.'Riveting . Vital Australian history.'-Nicole Abadee, Sydney Morning Herald'An absorbing legal drama interspersed by accounts of other archival discoveries that spiced her determination to access the Palace Letters.'-Paul Strangio, The Age'The Palace Letters is a significant and original contribution to our understanding of Australian politics. Accessibly written, it combines the adventure of a detective story with a scholarly meditation on Australian constitutionalism and sheds new light on previously unknown aspects of the Whitlam dismissal, in particular the continuing capacity of British Monarchs and their representatives profoundly to influence Australian political events. The book is also an object lesson concerning the challenges of archival research as it also tells the story behind the research materials upon which much of the study rests. The Palace Letters stands as a testament to the importance of our national archives and to the necessity for these to be accessible and transparent if our historical record is to be preserved.'-Judging panel comments from the Henry Mayer Book Prize 2021 Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781922310248
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The Palace Letters: The Queen, the governor-general and the plot to dismiss Gough Whitlam
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Melbourne; Scribe; 2020, 2020
ISBN 10: 1922310247
ISBN 13: 9781922310248
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The Palace Letters (Paperback)
Published by
Scribe Publications, Carlton North, 2020
ISBN 10: 1922310247
ISBN 13: 9781922310248
New
Paperback
Seller: AussieBookSeller, Truganina, VIC, Australia
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. A political betrayal.A constitutional crisis.A hidden correspondence.Gough Whitlam was a progressive prime minister whose reign from 1972 proved tumultuous after 23 years of conservative government in Australia. After a second election victory in May 1974, when a hostile Senate refused to vote on his 1975 budget, the political deadlock that ensued culminated in Whitlam's unexpected and deeply controversial dismissal by the governor-general, Sir John Kerr.Kerr was in close touch with the Palace during this period, but, under the cover of being designated as personal, that correspondence was locked away in the National Archives, and embargoed by the Queen - potentially forever. This ruse denied the Australian people access to critical information about one of the most divisive episodes in the nation's history.In the face of this, Professor Jenny Hocking embarked on what would become a ten-year campaign and a four-year legal battle to force the Archives to release the letters. In May 2020, despite being opposed by the Archives, Buckingham Palace, and the full resources of the federal government, she won her historic case in the High Court.The Palace Letters is the ground-breaking account of her indomitable fight. Drawing on material from the Palace letters, Kerr's archives, and her submissions to the courts, Hocking traces the collusion and deception behind the dismissal, and charts the secret role of High Court judges, the leader of the opposition, Malcolm Fraser, and the Queen's private secretary in fostering and supporting Kerr's actions.Hocking also reveals the obstruction, intrigue, and duplicity she faced during her campaign, raising disturbing questions about the role of the National Archives in fighting access to these historic letters and in enforcing, against Australia's national interests, royal secrecy over its own documents.'Riveting . Vital Australian history.'-Nicole Abadee, Sydney Morning Herald'An absorbing legal drama interspersed by accounts of other archival discoveries that spiced her determination to access the Palace Letters.'-Paul Strangio, The Age'The Palace Letters is a significant and original contribution to our understanding of Australian politics. Accessibly written, it combines the adventure of a detective story with a scholarly meditation on Australian constitutionalism and sheds new light on previously unknown aspects of the Whitlam dismissal, in particular the continuing capacity of British Monarchs and their representatives profoundly to influence Australian political events. The book is also an object lesson concerning the challenges of archival research as it also tells the story behind the research materials upon which much of the study rests. The Palace Letters stands as a testament to the importance of our national archives and to the necessity for these to be accessible and transparent if our historical record is to be preserved.'-Judging panel comments from the Henry Mayer Book Prize 2021 Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781922310248
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The Palace Letters (Paperback)
Published by
Scribe Publications, Carlton North, 2020
ISBN 10: 1922310247
ISBN 13: 9781922310248
New
Paperback
Seller: CitiRetail, Stevenage, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. A political betrayal.A constitutional crisis.A hidden correspondence.Gough Whitlam was a progressive prime minister whose reign from 1972 proved tumultuous after 23 years of conservative government in Australia. After a second election victory in May 1974, when a hostile Senate refused to vote on his 1975 budget, the political deadlock that ensued culminated in Whitlam's unexpected and deeply controversial dismissal by the governor-general, Sir John Kerr.Kerr was in close touch with the Palace during this period, but, under the cover of being designated as personal, that correspondence was locked away in the National Archives, and embargoed by the Queen - potentially forever. This ruse denied the Australian people access to critical information about one of the most divisive episodes in the nation's history.In the face of this, Professor Jenny Hocking embarked on what would become a ten-year campaign and a four-year legal battle to force the Archives to release the letters. In May 2020, despite being opposed by the Archives, Buckingham Palace, and the full resources of the federal government, she won her historic case in the High Court.The Palace Letters is the ground-breaking account of her indomitable fight. Drawing on material from the Palace letters, Kerr's archives, and her submissions to the courts, Hocking traces the collusion and deception behind the dismissal, and charts the secret role of High Court judges, the leader of the opposition, Malcolm Fraser, and the Queen's private secretary in fostering and supporting Kerr's actions.Hocking also reveals the obstruction, intrigue, and duplicity she faced during her campaign, raising disturbing questions about the role of the National Archives in fighting access to these historic letters and in enforcing, against Australia's national interests, royal secrecy over its own documents.'Riveting . Vital Australian history.'-Nicole Abadee, Sydney Morning Herald'An absorbing legal drama interspersed by accounts of other archival discoveries that spiced her determination to access the Palace Letters.'-Paul Strangio, The Age'The Palace Letters is a significant and original contribution to our understanding of Australian politics. Accessibly written, it combines the adventure of a detective story with a scholarly meditation on Australian constitutionalism and sheds new light on previously unknown aspects of the Whitlam dismissal, in particular the continuing capacity of British Monarchs and their representatives profoundly to influence Australian political events. The book is also an object lesson concerning the challenges of archival research as it also tells the story behind the research materials upon which much of the study rests. The Palace Letters stands as a testament to the importance of our national archives and to the necessity for these to be accessible and transparent if our historical record is to be preserved.'-Judging panel comments from the Henry Mayer Book Prize 2021 Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781922310248
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