Queen's secret letters on Gough Whitlam's dismissal to be made public

Correspondence is made up of 212 letters

(Rex Features)

Secret letters written by the Queen in 1975 with regards to the dismissal of then Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam are to be released on Tuesday, according to Australia's national archives.

Whitlam’s dismissal is often referred to as one of the most controversial parts of Australia‘s political history, however, much of what happened remains shrouded in mystery.

Now, more than 1,000 pages of correspondence between the Queen and the former Australian governor-general Sir John Kerr will be unveiled after a lengthy court battle.

Previously, more than 200 letters were sealed in the National Archives in Australia and could not be accessed.

However, following a legal battle led by historian Professor Jenny Hocking, the High Court of Australia ruled that the correspondence could be accessed due to national interest.

“The National Archives is proud to function as the memory and evidence of the nation, to preserve and provide historical Commonwealth records to the public,” said archives director-general David Fricker.

Hocking told the Guardian that she was “delighted” the documents would be released next week.

“I think this is the most appropriate response to what has been an emphatic high court decision and I thank the archives for their trouble in reaching this decision,” she said.

The correspondence is made up of letters, newspaper clippings, reports, and copies of letters related to meetings attended by Sir Kerr at the time of Whitlam’s dismissal.

Everything is set to be placed on the National Archive’s website.

Whitlam was sacked in 1975 after failing to get parliament to approve a national budget and declining to resign or call an election.

Sir Kerr’s dismissal of Whitlam, which he had the authority to do as the governer-general, was unprecedented and elicited questions about Australia’s political independence.

It is not known what is contained within the secret letters, which are to be published on Tuesday.