Former military lawyer David McBride pleaded guilty to three offences on Friday,after losing two separate legal bids to bolster his defence ahead of a trial that was due to start on Monday.
David McBride has lost his appeal to overturn a judge’s ruling he couldn’t argue he was duty-bound to disobey military orders,which could lead to a guilty plea.
Australia’s reputation will be put at risk if certain secret information is handed to whistleblower David McBride for his defence,the government has warned.
David McBride’s lawyer argues he was duty bound to leak information in the public interest,but the prosecution says his motivation was not to expose war crimes.
David McBride admitted to breaching orders not to disclose documents,but he was obliged to because of a higher oath to act in the public interest,his lawyer argued.
Two whistleblowers facing trial need more than ‘a discussion paper by Christmas’ from a government that’s promised better protections,the independent MPs say.
The former Facebook employee,in Australia for South by Southwest,says online platforms invested heavily in safety after her disclosures,only to wind them back.
The laws that protect both whistleblowing and media freedom are manifestly failing in Australia,giving comfort to the corrupt,the unethical and the powerful.
The Whistleblower Project launches this week and aims to help people navigate the process of disclosing against their employer and securely expose misconduct.
Whistleblower Samantha Crompvoets should be applauded,not vilified.
The Albanese government has talked the talk on press freedom but its failure to intervene in two ongoing cases undermines its commitment to reform.