Cover Image: The Dismissal Dossier

The Dismissal Dossier

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Member Reviews

In The Dismissal Dossier, Jenny Hocking exposes some of the background machinations lurking behind one of the most contentious events in Australian history: the unilateral dismissal of the Whitlam government by the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr.

It's hard to read this without becoming outraged and sickened at the way cynical power-seekers subverted Australia's democracy. These people, in many cases, were able to fly under the radar for decades, and almost none of them have paid any price for participating in what was essentially an utterly illegal coup. If that sounds condemnatory and partisan, I can only suggest that Hocking's evidence leaves no other conclusion open to a receptive reader.

What is especially distressing is the role of the English royals and their household in this affair. Hocking has been valiantly trying to obtain access to documents known as the "palace letters", that Kerr wrote to the Queen advising her of his intentions. This has been stymied in the Australian courts (no surprise when you consider two of the conspirators were High Court judges) and can only be revealed after 2027, with the assent of the English monarch. Given that the evidence suggests that Prince Charles was a key player with Kerr, the chances of that occurring are zero, and Australians will be denied access to our own history forever.

As well as illuminating the past, this book serves as a sharp reminder to Australians that royal weddings and cute babies should not obscure the compelling evidence that the English royals interfered in our democracy and subverted our Constitution. One cannot read this book and not conclude that Australia has to become a Republic.

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