Belinda Tasker, Paul Mulvey, Sydney – Gough Whitlam's defence minister admits he concealed secret details from the prime minister about the deaths of five Australian newsmen in East Timor in 1975.

Mr Whitlam and his former defence minister Bill Morrison were star witnesses in Sydney yesterday at the inquest into the death of cameraman Brian Peters, who was killed along with four colleagues in the border town of Balibo 32 years ago.

Sitting in the witness box at Glebe Coroner's Court, a calm Mr Whitlam said he knew nothing about the journalists' deaths until five days after they were shot. He also told the court he was confident he had seen all secret intelligence about the incident.

However, Mr Morrison revealed that while he was shocked when a top spy chief told him the journalists were feared dead within hours of them being shot on October 16, 1975, he didn't tell Mr Whitlam.

He also knew in the days before the shootings about Indonesia's plan to send troops into East Timor but kept Mr Whitlam in the dark. Asked by NSW deputy state coroner Dorelle Pinch if he told Mr Whitlam after October 16 about the journalists, Mr Morrison replied, "No".

He said around that time Mr Whitlam was dealing with controversies surrounding a ministerial resignation amid the fallout of the so-called Khemlani loans affair and a threat by opposition leader Malcolm Fraser to block the supply of legislation in the Senate. "I think the prime minister had enough problems on his hands," Mr Morrison told the court. "And it was on the pain of death to go anywhere near his office at that stage."

Official reports have said that Mr Peters and his colleagues Greg Shackleton, Gary Cunningham, Malcolm Rennie and Tony Stewart were killed in crossfire between Indonesian and Fretilin troops.

But the inquest has heard evidence they were deliberately killed by Indonesian soldiers. Dressed in a navy blue suit, white shirt and dark-coloured tie, Mr Whitlam said he did not know about the deaths until early October 21, 1975.

"Officials from the departments of defence and foreign affairs told me in my office that in Indonesian military traffic that had been intercepted by the Defence Signals Division was a voice communication in Timor which said there were four white bodies in Balibo," he said.

Mr Whitlam said the fact he was in Sydney and Melbourne on October 18-19 and unable to access a secure phone line may have prevented intelligence staff from contacting him earlier.

Questioned for almost three hours, the 90-year-old Labor elder statesman also could not remember seeing several intelligence cables indicating Indonesia planned an incursion into East Timor in mid-October or that the newsmen were executed on orders.

Outside the court, relatives of the journalists expressed disappointment at Mr Whitlam's testimony. Mr Shackleton's widow Shirley branded Mr Whitlam "despicable".

"Officials from the departments of defence and foreign affairs told me in my office that in Indonesian military traffic that had been intercepted by the Defence Signals Division was a voice communication in Timor which said there were four white bodies in Balibo.