Former Army lawyer David McBride has been released from prison after serving his full two years and three months non-parole period. Michael West reports.
David McBride was released from prison this morning, to the great joy of his family, friends and supporters, after serving the full two years and three months non-parole period of a 5 years and 8 months sentence.
The former army lawyer was sentenced in May 2024 for taking Defence documents and giving them to journalists. His appeal was dismissed in May 2025.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland confirmed this morning that his request for parole had been “considered and granted”.
David McBride wanted privacy upon his release and declined media interviews, although he did issue a statement. Here is the statement in full:
“I will make a more comprehensive speech at a later date, but some thanks are due immediately:
Firstly, I would like to thank my incredible family: Sarah, James and Georgie McBride who never gave up on me, and whose fighting spirit, love and humour inspired me every day.
Second, I’d like to thank all my amazing supporters from around both Australia and the world who sent me such inspirational messages. Many thanked me for allowing them to believe in this country again, in turn I thank them for showing me there are so many good people in the world worth fighting for.
Thirdly, I would like to thank the ACT Corrective services and their staff, from top to bottom, who treated me with professionalism, respect and humour for my entire time in custody.
I’d also like to thank my fellow prisoners at the AMC. They too showed me humour, respect and character that I will never forget. Many of them I hope to see again, and help if I can, as they helped me.
I also want to acknowledge and thank the Attorney-General, the Honourable Michelle Rowland for sparing us another long fight over the question of parole. After all we both want the same thing, a better Australia for our children, so it seems a waste to be fighting each other, rather than working together.
While I am fit and well in most respects, I feel I should inform those who may be interested that I have been diagnosed with treatable lung cancer, in its earliest stages, and will presently undergo an operation to remove part of my lung, after which I will require some extended physical recovery. In this, I’m very grateful to the relevant medical and corrective staff who discovered the cancer at such an early stage.
Finally, unfashionable as it is, I’d like to thank the God of my own understanding, who I believe kept me and my family safe in an uncertain time.
And I’m looking forward to hugging my dog, Jake. Hopefully he will remember me.”
Rex Patrick, former senator and founder of the Whistleblower Justice Fund said, “David served Australians, both in the Army and in his brave act of blowing the whistle on war crimes that took place in Afghanistan. It’s so good to see the end of an awful saga that should never have happened.
I salute David who walks away from prison with his head held high. The Information Rights Project and Whistleblower Justice Fund thank everyone who stood with David.”
Michael West established Michael West Media in 2016 to focus on journalism of high public interest, particularly the rising power of corporations over democracy. West was formerly a journalist and editor with Fairfax newspapers, a columnist for News Corp and even, once, a stockbroker.