Labor announces national security law review after inquiry criticises secrecy of Witness J case

Report describes unprecedented' secrecy that should not have happened and should never happen again'

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The unprecedented" and near total secrecy that hid the prosecution and imprisonment of a former Australian intelligence officer has prompted the federal government to order a review of laws governing the handling of sensitive national security information.

The former government faced persistent criticism of its use of the National Security Information Act to enforce extreme secrecy in cases of clear public interest, including the prosecutions of Bernard Collaery, Witness K, and former military lawyer David McBride.