Australian Whistleblower David McBride Released on Parole After 27 Months
David McBride, the former Australian Defence Forces lawyer who leaked military secrets about the country’s Afghanistan campaign, has been released on parole after serving 27 months of his 5‑year, 8‑month sentence.
In December 2024 McBride was sentenced after pleading guilty to stealing top‑secret defence documents and delivering them to the media. The revelations were the catalyst for the 2020 Brereton Report, which found credible evidence that Australian forces unlawfully killed 39 Afghans during the war.
The spokesperson for Attorney‑General Michelle Rowland confirmed on Thursday that the parole decision had been "considered and granted". McBride, who is currently undergoing treatment for lung cancer, will continue to serve the rest of his sentence in the community under supervision.
Shortly after the decision, advocacy group The Information Rights Project released a statement supporting McBride. He thanked his family and supporters, highlighting their "fighting spirit, love and humour" that inspired him daily.
McBride also disclosed that he has been diagnosed with treatable lung cancer and will undergo surgery to remove part of his lung, a fact his lawyer, Edwina Lloyd, described as "the right one".
During his court case prosecutors argued that McBride’s actions were driven by "personal vindication" and posed a serious risk to national security. His lawyers, however, maintained he acted with honourable intentions, showing "no contrition" for the breach of trust. The judge acknowledged his good character but ruled the breach a gross violation of duty.
The documents leaked to the ABC underpinned a 2017 series of reports, The Afghan Files, which revealed intense scrutiny of Australia’s elite special forces in Afghanistan and alleged war crimes. Since the Brereton Report, the Office of the Special Investigator has examined 53 cases involving 19 Australian Defence Forces personnel.
Read more about McBride’s parole decision.
Other high‑profile cases include Ben Roberts‑Smith, Australia's most decorated living soldier, facing five counts of war‑crime murder, and Oliver Schulz, charged with one count.
