Key facts
- Parts of a hearing into alleged Australian spy bugging of Timor-Leste will be public.
- The Administrative Appeals Tribunal ruled in favor of former senator Rex Patrick.
- The government argued that even unclassified details should remain secret due to national security concerns.
- The bugging operation in 2004 allegedly aimed to influence negotiations over the Greater Sunrise gasfields.
A campaign to uncover documents related to alleged Australian spy bugging of Timor-Leste in 2004 has gained momentum after a legal victory for former senator Rex Patrick. The Administrative Appeals Tribunal ruled that unclassified parts of a hearing concerning the top-secret mission must be held in public, rejecting the government's arguments that even these sections posed a national security risk. The government has maintained a Glomar response, neither confirming nor denying the bugging or the existence of related documents. The operation allegedly aimed to provide Australia with an advantage in negotiations over the lucrative Timor Sea oil and gas fields.