Tag Archives: Rule of Law Inst. Australia

“The Wikileaks saga raises these questions. At one level it is self-evident that publication of a treasure trove of hitherto secret documents can only boost governmental accountability and transparency. On any view, there is an overwhelming public interest in revealing human rights abuses by governments, whether with claims to be democratic or not. Similarly, there is an overwhelming public interest in disclosing the true basis for major political decisions, particularly those involving armed conflict. It is also true that the dangers of releasing hitherto secret information have been much exaggerated – the grave consequences feared by many governmental agencies have generally not come to pass and certainly there can be no excuse for intimidatory extra-legal tactics directed at the publishers of leaked material and at or those who represent them.” The Hon Acting Justice, Ronald Sackville Continue reading →