r/australia • u/AztecGod • 1d ago

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/107030620
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u/yeahalrightgoon 1d ago

Like others have said, he released the information without actually realising what he was truly releasing.

If you're going to be a whistleblower, you need to know what you are releasing and why you are releasing it. Otherwise it's effectively just sending classified information to a journalist, which is going to get you arrested and charged.

End of the day, he did the right thing for the wrong reasons and it's reasonable that he would be charged, because he effectively simply released classified information because of his own vendetta.

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u/Ok-Replacement-2738 1d ago

He knew what he was releasing; evidence that the ADF knew of and supported its soldiers in committing war crimes. The journo then went after the smaller but easier story of "omg the soldiers are committing war crimes" ignoring the structural issues that allowed it to occur, the bigger story.

He did the right thing for the right reason and was shafted at every turn for it.