NRS-22197 | Records relating to the Hilton Bombing [Cabinet Office]

Full description

On 13 February 1978, a bomb planted in a garbage bin outside the George Street entrance to the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, exploded. It killed three people and wounded a number of others. At the time of the bombing there was a meeting of Commonwealth leaders (Commonwealth Heads Of Government Regional Meeting - CHOGRM), hosted by the then Prime Minister, Mr Malcolm Fraser.

It was assumed that the bomb had been aimed at the Prime Minister of India, and there was speculation that a group called the Ananda Marga (whose leader at the time was being held in an Indian prison) was responsible.

It was not until May 1989 that any charges were laid in relation to the bombing. Then, on the 30 May, Tim Anderson was arrested and charged with murder. Anderson had been the public relations secretary for Ananda Marga in New South Wales at the time of the bombing. (He and two other Ananda Marga members - Dunn and Alister - had been previously convicted and pardoned of attempted murder).

Shortly afterwards Evan Pedrick approached Police in Queensland and said that he had set off the Hilton bomb, on the instruction of Anderson. Pedrick was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Anderson was convicted, and appealed. On 6 June 1991 the Court of Criminal Appeal quashed the conviction against Anderson and ordered the verdict of acquittal be entered.

During July 1995, the Premier of New South Wales, Mr Bob Carr, announced that he was going to open access to all the State Government files on the Hilton Bombing affair. The release was made in response to continued public questioning about the possible level of knowledge of the State Government in relation to the bombing of the Hilton Hotel in 1978.

The Cabinet Office was responsible for negotiating and coordinating the accelerated release of the relevant records relating to the Hilton Bombing, which were held by several agencies. The Cabinet office instructed the agencies affected by the Premier’s announcement to copy all relevant files. The agencies which provided copies of their records are: Attorney General’s Department; Crown Solicitor’s Office; The Cabinet Office; Department of Corrective Services; Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions; Independent Commission Against Corruption; Ministry for Police and Emergency Services; Office of the Ombudsman; Police Service; State Emergency Service.

The records copied relate to various matters and events surrounding the bombing and to various matters and events subsequent to the bombing. They include copies of: various Court transcripts; transcripts of the Inquest; committal papers and prosecution records relating to Anderson, Alister, Dunn, and Pederick; advisings; briefs of evidence; transcripts and records relating to s475 Inquiry into conviction of Anderson, Alister and Dunn; representations, letters and petitions; Corrective Services records relating to Anderson, Alister, Dunn, Pederick and Denning; applications for compensation by Anderson, Alister and Dunn: records relating to ex-gratia payments to victims and families of victims; and various Police records such as witness statements, information received, files, and Police duty books.