2023-11-10 23:20:42
Two legal proceedings in Australia against press confidantswhat is known in the sector as ‘deep throat’ as a result of the Watergate case, have opened a debate in the oceanic country that has led to a campaign – Whistleblower Justice Fund – to protect and defend a figure, that of the anonymous source, without which countless and decisive journalistic investigations would not have come to light.
The promoter of this fund is the former Australian senator Rex Patrickmoved by the cases opened against David McBride y Richard Boyle. McBride is a former military lawyer who, starting next Monday, will sit in the dock to face a trial for leaking defense documents to the media that would prove war crimes committed by members of the Australian Army in Afghanistan. Boyle is a former employee of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) who exposed the agency’s abusive practices in pursuing taxpayer debts, allegations for which he is exposed to up to 46 years in prison.
In statements to ‘The Guardian’, Patrick defended the role of informants and considered that his judicial persecution “sends a chilling message to anyone who is thinking of reporting: if you do so you are likely to end up facing at least long and “I could end up in jail.” “Who is going to report if this happens?”
Support for confidants
The goal of the Whistleblower Justice Fund is to provide legal support and help confidants reveal their information safely. Likewise, the organization seeks to pressure the federal government, and in particular the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, to end these processes. Dreyfus already interceded last year, using his executive powers, on behalf of Bernard Collaery, a lawyer who helped disclose Australia’s eavesdropping on its ally East Timor during oil and gas negotiations.
Under Australian law, ‘deep throats’ are authorized to make complaints to journalists or politicians in certain circumstances, whether in emergency situations or when internal complaints they fail. Both McBride and Boyle, according to the organization promoted by former Senator Patrick, first acted internally and chose to speak to the press as a last resort, so they should not be facing judicial persecution.
For this reason, the Whistleblower Justice Fund urges the Government of Anthony Albanese to undertake a urgent legal reform and the creation of an authority to protect anonymous whistleblowers.
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