Launch of "Nazis in Australia: Exploring the Legacy of Australia’s Special Investigations Unit, 1987-1994"

Join us for the launch of Nazis in Australia: Exploring the Legacy of Australia’s Special Investigations Unit, 1987-1994, which will be available for purchase and signing on the night.

Nazis in Australia tells the story of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) tasked with tracking down Nazi war criminals who had made Australia their homes after World War II. Join authors Mark Aarons and Graham Blewitt, as well as Greg James AM KC and Michael David in a conversation facilitated by David Bevan as they reflect on the SIU’s work and share their personal experiences investigating Nazis in Australia.

In 1986, journalist Mark Aarons released a groundbreaking radio documentary that exposed the presence of former Nazi perpetrators living in Australia. The public outcry led to a parliamentary inquiry and then the establishment of the SIU, Australia’s first body dedicated to investigating suspected war criminals. The SIU examined over 800 cases, excavated mass graves in Ukraine, and pursued prosecutions on Australian soil.

The SIU left an important legacy. As well as pursuing justice for victims of the Holocaust, it demonstrated that historical investigation of war crimes was possible, even decades later. In the words of former SIU director Graham Blewitt, "Australia should be proud that, for a brief period in our legal history, we stood up and did the right thing. There was a time when Nazi collaborators living in Australia were wondering when the SIU knock on the door would come."

Greg James AM KC is a former NSW Supreme Court Judge and Royal Commissioner. He is currently practicing as a Barrister and in the 1990s was the Prosecutor in the SIU's prosecutions of Ivan Polyukhovich and Heinrich Wagner in Adelaide.

David Bevan reported the Polyukhovich case for The Advertiser and the ABC. He wrote the book-length account of the proceedings in “A Case to Answer”. 

Michael David, King's Counsel, appeared as defence counsel for all three accused indicted for war crimes following the SIU’s investigations. He is now a retired Supreme Court Judge.