This article was first published at John Menadue - Pearls and Irritations

by Paul Malone, 26 March 2020 

In seeking to target foreign interference in Australia, the Federal Government has two countries in its sights, but it’s not just the Russians and Chinese who play the interference game.

Chevron is a major US energy company operating Western Australia’s Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG projects and Australia’s largest onshore oilfield on Barrow Island and managing a one-sixth interest in the North West Shelf project.

It’s also Australia’s sixth largest emitter of greenhouse gases, dumping 13 million tonnes a year, according to the latest available report from the Clean Energy Regulator.

And in polluting our atmosphere it’s also breaching undertakings it gave governments in order to get approval for the giant Gorgon LNG operation.

The problem is that Gorgon gas is 14 per cent CO2. To get approval for the project Chevron promised new technology which would see the CO2 injected into the earth to be stored in a deep reservoir. But on 18 September last year the Western Australia Environment Protection Agency reported that no carbon dioxide had been reinjected up to December 2017.

No prosecution has followed. How did Chevron get away with such a breach?

Good Lobbying, good government contacts, a bit of influence here, a bit of pressure there.

Read more: Who's Pushing Foreign Influence in Australia? - PAUL MALONE

David McBride is the Australian military lawyer who blew the whistle on war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan. He leaked documents and information to the ABC, which published the story in what has come to be called The Afghan Files. The leaking of this information led to raids on ABC offices by Australian Federal Police. Most recently, an investigation by ABC's Four Corners program uncovered footage of what appeared to be Australian soldiers murdering unarmed civilians, adding further weight to the claims made by McBride. He is now facing charges that could carry a sentence of 50 years in prison for revealing the truth of what Australian troops are doing in Afghanistan. The Australian people have a right to know the truth and the brave stand by David McBride should be applauded and defended. 

We publish below an appeal and fundraiser by David McBride to help raise funds to fight this important legal battle.   

My name is David McBride. I am facing 50 years in prison for blowing the whistle on the Australian Defence Force's unethical, harmful and highly politicised leadership. As I continue to fight these unjust criminal charges, I am asking for your support to access expert legal representation.  

For the past 19 years, Australian troops have been fighting a war in Afghanistan. After all this time, there still seems to be no end in sight. In 2011 and 2013, I served in Afghanistan as a military lawyer to the Royal Australian Regiment and Australian Special Forces respectively. When I joined the Australian Defence Force, I swore an oath to fight for Australian values.

Over my two deployments, I became increasingly concerned that the war was dictated by politics rather than the best interests of Australians and Australian soldiers. I saw the government putting increased pressure on Australian soldiers, knowing that this pressure could risk their lives. I saw people in leadership avoiding tough decisions because their political careers were more important than people’s lives.

Read more: 50 Years in Jail for Whistleblowing on the ADF