A.S.I.S. names decision for full Court

Press, 4 May 1984, Page 6

A.S.I.S. names decision for full Court

NZPA-AAP Melbourne The Full Bench of the Australian High Court will decide whether the names of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service agents engaged in last November’s bungled raid on the Sheraton Hotel in Melbourne should be released. Mr Justice Dawson said that he would make a formal order on May 23 refusing an application by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Bill Hayden, for permission to release im-

mediately the names to the Victoria police. Mr Hayden, the Commonwealth, and the A.S.I.S. director, Mr John Ryan, had asked to be released from a High Court injunction taken out in December restricting the release of names of 12 A.S.I.S. officers who took part in the planning and execution of the raid. His Honour said on Wednesday that the matter would be adjourned to the Full Bench of the High Court after a three-week adjournment.

He asked the parties to discuss and agree, where possible on points of fact in the claim by the A.S.I.S. members to have their names permanently suppressed. He had decided that the agents, known by the letters °f the alphabet Ato L, were entitled to relief. If ultimately, the defendants succeed (m their claim for permanent suppression of names), the most that will have occurred will be a temporary delay in the revelation of the plaintiffs’

names to those concerned with the enforcement of criminal law in Victoria.” H is Honour said that affidavit evide nce tendered by Victoria Government h a d outlined that on November 30 1003 three masked men were seen aT th?door o j one o f the hotel rooms trying to break it open with a S j e dge-hammer. The manager of the hotel, who went to investigate, was confronted by a masked man who pointed a sub-machine-gun at him.

Subsequently a group of men, most of whom were masked, emerged from the hotel lift at the ground-floor and went past guests to a wai , car ’ having brandls^ ed firearms including what appeared to be a pistol and two sub-machine-guns. It transpired that all five men had been taking part in an A.S.I.S. exercise engaging 12 people H H The five men had been released into the custody of an Army Provost-Marshal his Honour said.