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Geoffrey Robertson QC on the public’s right to know versus the fate of whistleblowers

Media release

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Wednesday 13 November 2013


International human-rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC weighs up the release of information in the public’s interest versus the fate of international whistleblowers Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden in the inaugural Big Ideas under the dome series at the State Library of Victoria.

Big Ideas under the Dome is a new lecture series that will bring the best and brightest minds from around the world to speak in the domed reading room of the State Library of Victoria which has been a symbol of inspiration, creativity and ideas for the past 100 years.

CEO and State Librarian Sue Roberts said the series further cements Melbourne’s place as Australia’s cultural and intellectual centre.

‘Melbourne is the home to Australia’s oldest public library; it is a UNESCO city of literature and has an extraordinarily robust culture of civic dialog and debate. This new series builds on that momentum and pays tribute to the role the State Library plays in it.’  

The inaugural Big Ideas under the dome lecture is, Free speech & its enemies: how to balance privacy & national security – an issue of great importance and controversy.

‘Geoffrey Robertson is one of the world’s leading human rights advocates and has defended some of the biggest whistleblowers of our age. His insights into this topic will be sharp, informed and intriguing. It is a wonderful way to begin this ambitious new lecture series,’ Roberts said.

Big Ideas under the dome
Geoffrey Robertson QC: Free speech & its enemies: how to balance privacy & national security
Thursday 14 November 2013, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
State Library of Victoria