At its simplest, press freedom is about truth: the ability to report and publish the truth, without fear or favour. In that critical endeavour, whistleblowers – truth-tellers – play an essential role.
It is a dark stain on our democracy that Australia still has several public interest whistleblowers on trial. Richard Boyle, David McBride and Bernard Collaery all face potential jail time for speaking up about serious wrongdoing. It is an indictment on our legal and political system that they continue to be prosecuted for holding power to account.
Collaery, a distinguished Canberra lawyer and former Australian Capital Territory (ACT) attorney general, is alleged to have spoken to the media about Australia’s treatment of our neighbour, Timor-Leste. It is alleged that Australia spied on Timor-Leste to gain an upper hand in oil and gas negotiations in the early 2000s, for commercial gain. Collaery has pleaded not guilty; his former client, intelligence officer Witness K, pleaded guilty to a lesser offence last year, and was given a suspended sentence.
McBride, a former defence lawyer, blew the whistle on alleged war crimes committed by Australian forces in Afghanistan. Boyle, meanwhile, spoke up about unethical practices within the Australian Taxation Office. All three blew the whistle to the national broadcaster, the ABC.
The complexity and opacity surrounding these three cases is nothing short of staggering, particularly given they have all been vindicated. No one seriously...
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