Series 03 Part 01: Rosemary Gillespie files relating to the National Civic Council and its front organisations, 1973-1984

MLMSS 9329/Boxes 17-23

series

1973-2008

Textual Records, Graphic Materials

1114894

1.05 metres of textual material (7 boxes), some folders include photographs

Rosemary Gillespie came to public attention in 1982 when she appeared on the ABC’s Four Corners program in an expose of the Australian involvement in Fiji’s politics. She gained her knowledge during a six year period in which she infiltrated a number of political and business organisations in order to find out what was happening beneath the surface of Australian life. Gillespie came from an Australian establishment family that had close links to the NCC. Her father had links to the intelligence world and introduced her to a wide range of American establishment figures when she studied in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. On a visit to Australia in 1975 she interviewed senior NCC leaders including Bob Santamaria and John Maynes, and on returning to Australia in 1976 she set about infiltrating the NCC, in which she became a member of the Victorian State Council, as well as holding executive positions in various front organisations such as the Australian Defence Association and the Women’s Action Alliance. She knew all the key personalities in such organisations and also was active in a range of business organisations, such as the CIA-linked Business International (which was involved in Fiji) and the Harvard Trade Union Training Program which has been linked with US intelligence operations.

Rosemary Gillespie collected the files, mainly photocopies, in BOXES 17-23 during her six years of activity in the NCC and its front organisations, chiefly as Managing Director of Datasearch (Research and Management Consultants, North Carlton, Vic.).

Reference:
Mark Aarons

Series 03 contains papers relating to the National Civic Council, its influences and activities in trade unions and its operation of front organisations. The files were collected in the period 1977-1992 in a series of investigations for the ABC. They cover material originally held by former senior members of the NCC, the unions it controlled and includes documents from a number of NCC-controlled or influenced front organisations.

BOX 17
Folder 1
‘Notes written by Gillespie on her background and outline of a proposed radio series on her and her files (never produced’, 1979-1983, with notes by, and copy of letter from, Mark Aarons (ABC Radio Talks and Documentaries)

Folder 2
‘NCC membership lists and cards’, being photocopies and typed transcriptions

BOX 18
Folder 1
‘Unions, including the Harvard Trade Union Training Program’, 1977-1981

Folder 2
‘Women’s Action Alliance’, 1978-1981

Folder 3
‘The Freedom Coalition’, 1979-1981

Folder 4
‘Melbourne Chamber of Commerce’ relating to Australian Labor Party State Policy for Victorian State Elections, 1982

Folder 5
‘Liberals’, being copy of letter received from Sir Peter J. Derham (Honorary State Treasurer, Liberal Party of Australia, Victorian Division), 1 Mar. 1982

Folder 6
‘Committee for the Economic Development of Australia’, 1980-1982

Folder 7
‘Australian Industries Development Association’, 1980-1982

Folder 8
‘Enterprise Australia’, 1982

Folder 9
‘AMCHAM [American Chamber of Commerce]’, 1976-1981

Folder 10
‘Miscellaneous Papers’, 1974-1982

BOX 19
Folder 1
‘BI [Business International Asia-Pacific Ltd] – Joan Coxsedge / Alan Carroll’, including photocopy of ‘What Price Socialism ?’ by Joan Coxsedge, being paper presented at the Evatt Memorial Lecture, Adelaide University, 21 July 1982

Folder 2
‘BI [Business International Asia-Pacific Ltd] – Political Analysis’, ca. 1981

Folder 3
‘BI [Business International Asia-Pacific Ltd] – Victoria under Labor’, being mainly photocopy of ‘A Victorian Labor Government 1982-1985: An Analysis of the Strategic Implications for Business’, Nov. 1981

Folder 4
‘BI [Business International Asia-Pacific Ltd] – General (Volume One)’, 1978-1984

Folder 5
‘BI [Business International Asia-Pacific Ltd] – General (Volume Two), 1973-1982

BOX 20
Folders 1-3, being photocopies mainly relating to the 1982 Fijian General Election Inquiry

Folder 1
‘BI [Business International Asia-Pacific Ltd] – Fiji (Volume One)’, 1978-1983

Folder 2
‘BI [Business International Asia-Pacific Ltd] – Fji (Volume Two)’, 1980-1983

Folder 3
‘BI [Business International Asia-Pacific Ltd] – Fiji (Volume Three)’, 1982-1983

BOX 21
Folder 1
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)]’, being photocopies of correspondence of the ADA, 1976-1978

Folder 2
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)]’, being photocopies of ADA (Vic.) correspondence, 1979

Folder 3
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)]’, being photocopies of ADA (Vic.) correspondence, 1979; financial and miscellaneous reports, and minutes of meetings, 1977-1979

Folder 4
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)]’, being photocopies of ADA (Vic.) correspondence, 1981

Folder 5
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)]’, being photocopies of ADA (Vic.) correspondence, 1981; membership list, 1979; and Executive meeting agenda, 1980; membership payments, 1982

Folder 6
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)]’, being photocopy of ADA (Vic.) cash book, 1978-1982

Folder 7
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)]’, being photocopies of ADA (Vic.) correspondence, 1981 and Executive Meeting agenda, 1979-1981

Folder 8
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)] / NCC’, being photocopies of ADA (Vic.) of mailing and membership lists, 1977-1989, and notes of meeting with Bob Brandt, American Consulate, 24 Nov. 1980

Folder 9
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)]’, being photocopies of ADA (Vic.) correspondence and Executive Meeting agenda and minutes, 1978-1982

BOX 22
Folder 1
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)]’, being photocopies mainly of letters from the ADA to Rosemary Gillespie, June-July 1982

Folder 2
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)]’, being photocopies of ADA (Vic.) correspondence, 1977-1982

Folder 3
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)]’, being photocopies of ADA (Vic.) correspondence, 1978-1981, with enclosures and other documents, 1974-1979

Folder 4
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)]’, being photocopies of ADA (Vic.) correspondence, 1977-1981

Folder 5
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)]’, being photocopies of ADA (Vic.), 1978-1979

Folder 6
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)] – Key People in ADA’, being photocopies of documents, 1978-1981, including Constitution of the ADA, 1978-1981

Folder 7
‘ADA [Australia Defence Association (Victoria)] – List of Registered Voters for UNMID Decade Conference’, being photocopies of ADA (Vic.) documents relating to Defence Manufacturers Association of Australia and Victorian Chamber of Manufacturers, 1979-1980

BOX 23
Folder 1
‘Women’s Action Alliance – General Policy’, 1976-1979

Folder 2
‘Women’s Action Alliance – Membership and Mailing List’, 1977-

Folder 3
‘Women’s Action Alliance – Research Project’, 1979-1981, mainly relating to project, ‘How Parents See Their Role and Responsibility to Their Children’

Folder 4
‘Women’s Action Alliance – 1979 National Conference’ relating to Second National Conference, Mar. 1979

Folder 5
‘Women’s Action Alliance – Belloc Group’, being mainly agenda and notes of meetings, 1977-1979

Folder 6
‘Women’s Action Alliance – Executive Meetings’, being agenda and minutes of Victorian State Executive meetings, 1977-1979

Folder 7
‘Safety Deposit Box List’

Folder 8
‘NCC [National Civic Council] – 1974 National Meeting’, being photocopy of ‘Decisions Taken by National Meeting July 15/16, 1974’

Folder 9
‘NCC [National Civic Council] – 1976 Documents’

Folder 10
‘NCC [National Civic Council] – National Seminar 1979’

Folder 11
‘NCC [National Civic Council] Split (Various)’, 1980-1981

Folder 12
‘NCC [National Civic Council] and Polish Solidarity’, being photocopy of Solidarnosc Newsletter, no. 8, Nov. 1981

Folder 13
‘Freedom Coalition’, 1979-1982, being photocopies of documents, including Constitution, 12 Dec. 1979

Restricted: Access requires a signed undertaking not to make any use of information contained therein, in conversation or in writing, that could cause pain or embarrassment to any living person.

Copyright status:: In copyright - This collection has multiple rights owners
Research & study copies allowed: Applies to material in which Mark Aarons owns copyright
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Box listings compiled by Mark Aarons and amplified by Library staff