Philip Dorling’s report (Canberra Times, 30 December, p1 and p2) that Dr Evatt as leader of the opposition was not told of the existence of ASIS, that ASIS took ‘considerable precautions… to prevent the possibility of information affecting the operation of (the service) coming to (the leader of the opposition’s) knowledge should the elections have gone in his favour’ and that Mr
Whitlam was not formally told of the existence of ASIS until he became prime minister is frightening. Mr Dorling reports that ASIS was funded illegally through the diversion of appropriations from the Department of Defence and Department of Foreign Affairs.
If the report is correct it seems likely that senior officials, including presumably departmental secretaries, conspired to mislead the parliament. Let us hope existing and proposed
mechanisms for oversight of the intelligence and law enforcement agencies prevent recurrence of this and more recent scandals.
Ernst Willheim, CLA member, Forrest ACT
Published in Canberra Times