It was the late 1970s, and members of the NSW police force were tapping phones, illegally, in the hopes of cracking down on organised crime. The sorts of people they had in their sights were well-known underworld figures, like Abe Saffron, known as “Mr Sin”, and drug boss Robert Trimbole.

But what they stumbled upon instead, shocked them.

Conversations between a high court justice and his well-placed friends that would implicate the judge, Lionel Murphy, for years, in corruption allegations. 

Today, Lindsay Murdoch, one of the two journalists who broke this story for The Age, on the secret tapes that unleashed one of the most controversial political sagas of the 1980s.

It was the late 1970s, and members of the NSW police force were tapping phones, illegally, in the hopes of cracking down on organised crime. The sorts of people they had in their sights were well-known underworld figures, like Abe Saffron, known as “Mr Sin”, and drug boss Robert Trimbole.
But what they stumbled upon instead, shocked them.
Conversations between a high court justice and his well-placed friends that would implicate the judge, Lionel Murphy, for years, in corruption allegations. 
Today, Lindsay Murdoch, one of the two journalists who broke this story for The Age, on the secret tapes that unleashed one of the most controversial political sagas of the 1980s.

The Morning Edition (formerly Please Explain) brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition (formerly Please Explain) brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

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