More than 70 organisations and individuals have signed a letter to the Australian Government, published in newspapers today, calling for an end to the prosecution of whistleblowers and for urgent whistleblower protection reform.
In November, David McBride – who helped expose war crimes in Afghanistan by leaking documents to the ABC – will face trial in the ACT Supreme Court. McBride will be the first person to face trial in relation to war crimes in Afghanistan – the whistleblower, not an alleged war criminal.
Next year Richard Boyle, who blew the whistle on unethical debt recovery practices at the tax office, will face trial in Adelaide. Earlier this year Boyle’s defence under Australia’s broken whistleblowing laws was unsuccessful – the judgment is currently on appeal.
The Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus KC, has the executive power under the Judiciary Act to discontinue prosecutions. He exercised that power last year to end the unjust case against whistleblower Bernard Collaery.
In the open letter, which was published in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Canberra Times and The Australian Financial Review, the signatories underscore the important role that whistleblowers and journalists play in exposing injustice.
Signatories included dozens of leading civil society organisations, unions the Community and Public Sector Union and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, distinguished journalists, lawyers, retired judges, former whistleblowers and more.
Peter...
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