Law, Politics and Intelligence: A life of Robert Hope

- Blurb -

Robert Marsden Hope (1919-99), aNSW Supreme Court judge, shaped the structures, operations and doctrines ofAustralia's intelligence agencies more than any other individual. Commissioned by three Prime Ministers to conductmajor inquiries, including two royal commissions, Justice Hope prescribed thestructures, legislation, operational doctrines, and national and internationalarrangements that would ensure Australia had agencies that were effective incountering threats to its security, while also being fully accountable to thegovernment, the law and the parliament. Not just a biography on Hope, Law, Politics andIntelligence also makes an important contribution to the history ofAustralia's environmental policies, adds significantly to the debate on judgesacting as Royal Commissioners, and contains new insights into the appointmentof High Court and Supreme Court judges, as well as the dismissal of the WhitlamGovernment. It is a ground-breaking account of the life and times of a man who shapedthe way our intelligence agencies have operated for four decades.Endorsements'InPeter Edwards this multi-faceted, highly principled, famously charming butoccasionally cantankerous jurist has found the biographer he has long deserved.This is a comprehensively researched, meticulously fair, lucidly written andcompletely absorbing read.' - Gareth Evans AC QC 'PeterEdwards has written an informative and perceptive account of his life and work.It is a pleasure to read.' - Murray Gleeson AC QC