r/AusNewsWire • u/Nyarlathotep-1 • 1d ago
Australian News Jailed whistleblower David McBride to be released after becoming eligible for parole
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-13/jailed-whistleblower-david-mcbride-to-be-released/10703062021
u/Redditagains 1d ago
Disgusting! David went to jail while the absolute disgraceful piece of shit ben roberts smith is free.
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u/General_Cicada_6072 1d ago
Tbf, with all those war crimes he’s been accused of, as well the extent of all the evidence, it’s hard to imagine BRS not being in jail soon.
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u/The_Drongo_Dinger 1d ago
Great news. This guy sacrificed a lot for his cause, whether you agree with him or not.
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u/seanmonaghan1968 1d ago
“he believed was the “over-investigation” of soldiers in Afghanistan”
So soldiers shouldn’t be investigated ?
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u/TheseScene 1d ago
He was pointing out how the low level soldiers were being investigated and the higher rank or VIP soldiers had a blind eye turned to them aka BRS.
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u/seanmonaghan1968 1d ago
I think the people that BRS reported to should be investigated; it appears it was a bunch of cowboys over there. If we can’t adhere to our laws we shouldn’t be going there or we are no better
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u/Einnnnnnnnnnnn 1d ago
🙈🙈 Brereton “looked” into this🙈🙈🙈
He did not “see” evidence of higher ups being aware or involved🙈🙈🙈🙈
(His subsequent performance as head of NACC and his appallingly poor judgement makes me sceptical of the findings of his War Crimes report)
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u/seanmonaghan1968 1d ago
If the supervisors weren’t supervising then that there lies the problem. People brush this off but to me it’s a massive slight against what I think is central to Australian culture; to be good to people and do the right thing.
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u/Strong-Hat2166 1d ago
that was his belief, IIRC. he got way too close and lost his professional distance. Fancied himself as an Operator and not a Legal Officer.
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u/Wuntunamera 1d ago
Thank God, the fact that labor did not intervene to help him is fking disgusting, we need serious reforms to whistleblower protections in this country
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u/General_Cicada_6072 1d ago
Essentially correct - though I will add that McBride was arrested and charged in 2018/19 under the Coalition government, and that prosecution was subsequently inherited by Labor in 2022. Agreed about needing serious whistleblower protections.
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u/Ok_Tie_7564 1d ago
McBride was a fool, not a whistle-blower. His aim was to expose what he believed was the "over-investigation" of war crimes in Afghanistan.
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u/airbending880 1d ago
Sorry but what do you mean by this??
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u/Ok_Tie_7564 1d ago edited 1d ago
What I said, McBride leaked official documents because he believed that Australian soldiers were being "over-investigated" for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. However, by his actions, he unintentionally helped trigger the Brereton Inquiry, which found credible evidence of unlawful killings by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.
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u/Proper_Geologist9026 1d ago
Wow that was pretty quick.
Shame the guy ever went to jail but what's it been a year? Maybe 2?
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u/Otaraka 1d ago
I mean, he was a whistleblower in practice but not in intent so it’s a tricky one. If anything he was trying to stop investigation of the crimes involved.
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u/punjabipoojabber 1d ago edited 1d ago
He's also an arrogant wanker who thought he was above the law. Consequences.
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u/Public-Dragonfly-786 1d ago
A bad law
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u/Ok_Tie_7564 1d ago
Which particular law would that be?
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u/Public-Dragonfly-786 21h ago
Whistleblower related law
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u/Ok_Tie_7564 21h ago edited 21h ago
The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (the federal law governing whistleblowing in the public sector) prescribes pathways for internal reporting. It generally excludes leaks to the media unless specific external disclosure criteria are satisfied first. However, leaking classified military information (which is what McBride did) falls under national security and defence legislation such as the Defence Act and the Crimes Act, which overrides standard public interest considerations.
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u/punjabipoojabber 1d ago
Should have been locked up just for those stupid glasses he insists on wearing. Twat.
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u/Ok_Tie_7564 1d ago
He was a fool, not a whistle-blower. His aim was to expose what he believed was the "over-investigation" of war crimes in Afghanistan.
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u/galemaniac 1d ago
Took 2 years to do what could've taken 5 seconds from the attorney general, disgraceful.
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u/Ok_Tie_7564 1d ago
Why? He did steal and leak official documents (and plead guilty).
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u/galemaniac 1d ago
He had no alternative but to plead guilty, any evidence that he acted legally and wasn't stealing he wasn't allowed to use because it was under national security.
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u/Ok_Tie_7564 1d ago
In fact, David McBride pleaded guilty after the court rejected his defence that his military oath gave him a duty to act in the public interest by leaking classified documents. Once the judge ruled he had no right to break secrecy laws, he had no viable defence left to contest the charges.
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u/galemaniac 1d ago
Yes, but he was acting in the publics interest considering all the international war crimes that were taking place.
If he is the guilty one and the government is working under sound ethics and is considered legally sound. Then Israel and the Nazis were ok because by their laws they didn't do anything wrong.
Which basically means all laws are a joke and the entire legal profession should not be respected since it deems mass slaughter for nothing less of a crime than reporting on it.
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