Whitlam biographer, Jenny Hocking (Monash U) is crowdfunding a  Federal Court case to force the National Archives to release correspondence between then governor general John Kerr and the Queen at the time of the dismissal of the Whitlam Government. They are “the final missing piece in the puzzle on the most controversial episode in Australia’s political history,” Professor Hocking says.

According to Professor Hocking, the National Archives refuses to release the file arguing that the documents are private papers, not Commonwealth records. Professor Hocking’s pro-bono legal team says this is not correct.

It looks Professor Hocking will get her day in court, yesterday theLast piece in the Dismissal puzzle, via the social-activist Chuffed platform, reported the campaign has raised $45 000 of the $60 000 target. Perhaps nothing will save the governor general’s letters.