“All that is needed for evil to prosper is for people of good will to do nothing”—Edmund Burke The Whistle No. 100, October 2019 Newsletter of Whistleblowers Australia ( ISSN 2205-0299) Articles Designed to keep seeker. Look around you, we’re being and itself from being caught up in the terrorised by our own government, allegations of bribery and fraud that government safe becoming deaf and blind to even the were swirling around our region. This is — from us possibility that our differences are why so few got to know that the RBA Cynthia Kardell being exploited by political interests. executives pleaded guilty and the RBA quietly agreed to pay a $20.6 million TIMOR L’ESTE whistleblower Witness penalty under the proceeds of crime act K, his lawyer Bernard Collaery, the until after Najib Razak lost office, when Afghan Files whistleblower David he was charged with multiple counts of McBride and ATO whistleblower fraud. It is clear government’s claim Richard Boyle have become proxies in that our national security interests were the government’s war on us, the people. at risk was always a ruse to keep those The government’s message is clear and like you and me in the dark, in order to unequivocal: “Don’t try to disturb our keep our blind faith (in them) largely preferred narrative with your inconven- intact. Centuries old legal precepts in ient truths, unless you and your journal- By expanding the scope of national criminal law have been turned on their ists want to be criminally prosecuted for security, the government has moved us head, with each element of a criminal acquiring, copying, receiving and or inexorably towards becoming more risk offence turned into an offence in and of disclosing our illegal ways.” averse. Elections are enthusiastically itself — to make it easier for govern- This is the dreadful reality of “terror” stoked with lying spin, slogans and ment to incarcerate the few with laws legislated since 9/11 that govern- scare campaigns, all designed to exploit inconvenient political and religious ment says are needed to keep us safe. our ignorance, apathy and bias by beliefs more easily at the expense of the We have only started talking about it wedging us, one against the other. many. And more recently, the potential in these terms since the AFP raids on The more attentive will know the for cyber-attacks on our public utilities News Corp journalist Annika Sme- government’s version of events has has been talked up to soften us up to thurst and the ABC in June and we need come under fire many times, but none accept that the Australian Signals to do it much more, because history with more devastating consequences Directorate (ASD) should be allowed to says there’s always a pattern. If you than when former Office-of-National- spy on us to keep us safe. treat asylum seekers on Manus and Assessments analyst (now independent Nauru as illegals, then they become MP) Andrew Willkie revealed on prime illegals. Treat journalists as persons of time television that regime change was interest for long enough and they will the government’s reason for taking us become criminals in the minds of those, to war in Iraq. Former prime minister who prefer to believe they must have John Howard lied to us. It was propa- done something wrong. Why else ganda. There were no weapons of mass would government do it, they ask each destruction and no threat to our other? It’s the usual, blame the victim national security. Saddam Hussein had and reassure yourself that you’re right, no designs on Australia. they’re wrong, because it isn’t happen- The government lied to ensure we ing to you. Hitler started in this way, were scared, but willing to go along which is one reason why history says it with its decision. We trusted, in them. It is more likely to be a very bad law in is sobering to know now that the Iraqi the hands of an abusive government. war spawned ISIS with all its attendant Laws designed to rebadge asylum grief, refugees and worldwide destruc- seekers as well-heeled queue jumpers, tion. Which is why we can’t take As these laws have been expanded, turn back the boats and operate offshore government at its word anymore. When so too have the ways that our “national detention camps have allowed the there are competing narratives, we need security interests” are being deployed government to terrorise those unfortu- to get to the bottom of it and hold by government to protect their interests. nate souls, who were fleeing in fear for government and its operatives to ac- For example, the government obtained their lives by boat — as if we were on a count. Why? Because the government’s suppression orders in criminal proceed- war footing! But we’re not, and it position is clearly that whether it acted ings against Reserve Bank of Australia couldn’t be further from the truth, illegally is nobody’s business but (RBA) subsidiary Securency Pty Ltd because more asylum seekers come in theirs! and its executives on “national secu- through Qantas than by boat. But we’ve The narratives below are examples rity” grounds. The reality was quite mostly bought it hook, line and sinker, of what the government refuses to different. The government wanted to preferring to see ourselves as special concede. protect RBA executives, the former and more deserving than an asylum Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak 2 The Whistle, #100, October 2019 • In 2004 government illegally lies, to keep the theft of another why it would be better for them to bugged Dili’s cabinet room during country’s assets secret and out of our withdraw the prosecution to reassure us negotiations, leading to the 2007 sight. We have reaped the benefit of that the ATO can be relied upon to Certain Maritime Arrangements Treaty billions of dollars in stolen goods, since police itself when it matters most. It is (CMAT). In 2012 it illegally seized Timor L’este’s oil and gas reserves after all our money being squandered to Timor L’este’s documents concerning were first exploited by us in the 1970s. shore up their myth. their spying allegations and stopped The Witness K, Bernard Collaery story Witness K giving evidence of the was the catalyst for discovering every bugging in the International Court of nasty twist, in a tale of excruciating Justice in The Hague. Timor L’este greed and venality stretching back to wanted the CMAT set aside for a new the 1960s, when government unilater- boundary, straight down the middle. ally gave Woodside a permit to explore They won, so they got title to their own in (then) Portuguese waters. offshore assets. In 2018 the Australian In 2007 the government forced government colluded with oil and gas Timor L’este to sign the CMAT treaty, giants ConocoPhillips and Woodside to which provided Timor L’este with a Richard Boyle pressure Timor L’este into processing 50% share of its own resources in return Former defence lawyer David the LNg through an existing Conoco- for a fifty-year moratorium on negotiat- McBride is being prosecuted for led LNg plant in Darwin. government ing a maritime boundary. Timor L’este leaking official secrets that allegedly is punishing Witness K and lawyer was a newly independent, poverty prejudice Australia’s military defence Bernard Collaery for the new boundary stricken neighbour. It had no choice. or security under Criminal Code se- and loss of future LNg revenue. Our government would have us believe crecy provisions, which were expanded that its theft is in our national interest. and subjected to harsher penalties as Witness K and Bernard Collaery’s part of last year’s “foreign interference” intervention in 2012 made it possible legislation. Outside the ACT Supreme for Timor L’este to have the morato- Court on July 11, McBride explained rium set aside. On my reading of the his predicament this way, as reported in events, the subsequent prosecution of the Sydney Morning Herald. both men in 2018 is payback for depriv- ing the government of billions of “It’s 10 years ago, about what people dollars in stolen revenue for the next shot someone in Afghanistan, what fifty years. The prosecution is to be held the minister may have said. I mean, • In 2013 the Australian Taxation in secret, which is the government’s how are our enemies — the Office (ATO) illegally directed its staff way of keeping their dirty narrative Russians, the Chinese — how is that to issue garnishee notices to seize funds alive. So, it can continue to deny the going to be used against us? The from small business bank accounts truth by denying you and me the government should be made to say without notifying a debt. In 2017 the validation that is rightfully ours. why can't you reclassify these things, ATO conceded the facts, but not the what is truly secret about it?” intent, withdrew the policy and Asked why people should take an punished whistleblower Richard Boyle interest in his case, Mr McBride said: by charging him with criminal theft. “If we don’t stop this trajectory now, in five, 10 years’ time, this will be an • Special forces personnel in absolute police state, where there's Afghanistan may have committed war no difference between a spy and a crimes between 2009 and 2013. There journalist.” were at least ten incidents in which special forces killed insurgents and He makes a lot of sense.