Federal government backflips on secrecy push in Witness K court case

Shift surprises ABC during its attempt to stop commonwealth from automatically closing court proceedings

Lawyers for the federal attorney general have flipped their position on secrecy in the Witness K case by abandoning a push to automatically close the court whenever sensitive material is raised.

The government's previous stance had wasted considerable time and expense" for Australian Broadcasting Corporation lawyers who were preparing to intervene to keep the case as open as possible, the ACT magistrates court heard on Monday.