As bombs rain down on Gaza and the world watches yet another brutal, unjust war, could there be a better time for us to reflect upon the importance of whistleblowers? Could there be a worse time for this government to be dragging David McBride in front of a court just down the road from here for telling the truth about another war?
Senator SHOEBRIDGE (New South Wales) (13:46): As bombs rain down on Gaza and the world watches yet another brutal, unjust war, could there be a better time for us to reflect upon the importance of whistleblowers? Could there be a worse time for this government to be dragging David McBride in front of a court just down the road from here for telling the truth about another war? Why is David McBride being taken to court by the Labor government? It’s because he told the truth. He let the public know what was being done in their name by Australian soldiers who broke the rules of war and the laws of conflict and committed war crimes while on deployment in Afghanistan. Last sitting period, I met with representatives of the Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organisation, and they were clear that, if the government wants to start mending its international and moral standing and respond to the damage that has been done to families and communities in Afghanistan, then they must end the prosecution of David McBride and start taking action.
As we speak, David McBride is the only person currently facing a serious trial for the war crimes committed in Afghanistan. Let that sink in. Who’s being prosecuted? Who’s facing jail? It’s not those who committed the crimes but the person who blew the whistle. The Albanese government trotted into this place on their high horse, making big promises about transparency, fairness and changing the ways of government. Look where we are now. They’re hounding the whistleblowers who make a brave and moral decision to reveal war crimes and then sitting on their hands when it comes to perpetrators. It’s time to value truth. It’s time to value decency. We must stop the prosecution of McBride now.