☕️ ADF whistleblower released from prison

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Former Australian Defence Force (ADF) employee David McBride has been released on parole after 27 months in prison.

In November 2023, McBride pleaded guilty to unlawfully sharing classified defence force material with the ABC, including allegations that Australian soldiers committed war crimes in Afghanistan.

In a statement shared after his release, McBride thanked his supporters, who he said “showed me there are so many good people in the world worth fighting for.”

McBride joined the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in 2009 as a Special Operations legal officer. He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 and 2013.

While there, McBride became concerned that the ADF was improperly investigating soldiers who hadn’t done anything wrong.

He first tried to raise the alarm internally with the ADF. Next, he went to the Australian Federal Police (AFP). After that, he went to the Defence Minister. When McBride’s attempts failed, he went to the ABC.

McBride believed the materials he provided to the ABC demonstrated improper investigations of ADF soldiers. However, the documents also contained evidence suggesting that Australian soldiers had allegedly committed war crimes. The ABC included these allegations in their reporting.

In 2018, McBride was charged with offences relating to national security.

He did not dispute that he leaked the material, but argued it was his duty to report alleged illegal conduct because it was in the public interest.

McBride sought to fight the charges, but early in the trial, the court ruled that certain evidence may pose a risk to “the security and defence of Australia”.

He pleaded guilty to three charges, including theft and sharing classified documents with the press, and was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison in May 2024.

On Thursday, McBride was released from prison on parole. This means he can live in the community for the rest of his sentence, provided he meets conditions such as reporting to a community corrections officer and not leaving the country without permission.

In a social media post celebrating McBride’s release, The Information Rights Project shared that 6,500 people had signed a petition calling for his release, and 2,700 had emailed Attorney-General Michelle Rowland asking for McBride to be freed.

In a statement published by McBride’s legal team, he thanked his family, supporters, prison staff and inmates, and the Attorney-General.

McBride finished by saying that he is “looking forward to hugging my dog, Jake. Hopefully he will remember me.”

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

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Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young introduced a bill in the Senate on Thursday morning to allow doctors to use telehealth for voluntary assisted dying (VAD) consultations.

A federal law currently blocks VAD via telehealth, even in parts of the country where it’s legal.

It comes two days after the Government blocked a near-identical push in the House of Representatives.

VAD has been rolling out across Australia since Victoria became the first state to legalise it in June 2019.

It’s now legal in every state and territory except the NT, though its Government has confirmed a bill will pass Parliament this month.

A separate federal law, originally aimed at stopping online content that promotes suicide, prevents doctors discussing VAD by phone, email or video call. Face-to-face meetings are the only legal option.

In most states, patients must ask doctors about it, not vice versa. Two independent doctors then separately assess whether a patient is eligible.

They must be an adult with decision-making capacity, expected to die within six months (or 12 months for conditions such as motor neurone disease), and experiencing suffering that can’t be eased in a way they can stand.

If approved, the patient signs a written declaration, then waits at least nine days before making a final request to confirm they still want to go ahead.

A doctor then arranges the medication, for the patient to take themselves, or in some cases, for a doctor to administer.

Hanson-Young introduced her bill on Thursday. It would amend the Criminal Code so doctors can legally use telehealth for VAD consultations.

Hanson-Young argues the ban disproportionately affects Australians in regional, rural and remote areas, where there are fewer VAD-trained doctors and patients often must travel hundreds of kilometres, more than once, for a legally required in-person meeting.

Independent MP Kate Chaney introduced a similar bill in the House of Representatives earlier this year.

Last month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told ABC Insiders he is in favour of VAD, but opposed to accessing it via telehealth.

At Labor’s national conference last month, the party committed to allowing a conscience vote (when members can vote based on their own opinion, not as a party) on VAD reforms.

On Tuesday, Health Minister Mark Butler led the Government in stopping debate on Chaney’s bill in the House of Representatives, telling Parliament the existing safeguards for telehealth weren’t adequate.

The Government has a majority in the House of Representatives, meaning it can control what is debated.

Hanson-Young has introduced her own version of the bill to the Senate, where the Government doesn’t have the same majority.

Independents and minor parties have more power there to bring a bill to an actual vote.

Hanson-Young says she’ll spend the coming weeks building support among her Senate colleagues so that Labor’s conscience vote can be tested in Parliament.

Any bill introduced to Parliament by a non-government politician is called a private member’s bill in the House or a private senator’s bill in the Senate. It’s very rare for the Government to support a private bill.

The Greens will need support of other crossbenchers and either the Coalition or the Government to bring it to a vote.

Independent Senator David Pocock has publicly endorsed the push for reform.

A spokesperson for Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston said the Opposition was yet to determine its position on the bill.

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.

Getting more from your internet might be easier than you think. 

Your favourite program buffering at the cliffhanger. Video calls freezing at the worst moment. While it can feel like that’s just part of life, it may be worth checking what’s available at your address.

With nbn full fibre rolling out to more homes, you might have more options than you realise.

The frog had previously flown under the radar because it looked almost identical to other species, with the only obvious difference being it doesn’t have a dark spot on its forearm. The Adenomera varcena frog lives in a part of the western Amazon which floods for part of each year. The scientists who discovered the frog said their finding “highlights just how much of the Amazon’s biodiversity remains unknown”.

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.

More than 200 tiny golden statues of Mozart are missing from an art exhibition in Salzburg.

German artist Ottmar Hörl created and displayed the statues (which are plastic painted gold, not actual gold) as part of celebrations marking the Austrian composer’s 270th birthday.

Hörl said that while he finds the theft “a bit cheeky,” he believes it’s “organised theft” and “the worst thing for an artist… when his work vanishes”.

Somebody find these lil Amadeuses! Schnell!!

Reporting by Lucy Tassell.