On 14 May 2024, the ACT Supreme Court jailed David McBride for trying to expose the Australian Defence Force’s unethical, harmful and highly politicised leadership. David is not giving up. David McBride is appealing this outrageous sentence and he needs your help to fund his appeal.

Who is David McBride?  

In 2011 and 2013, David McBride served in Afghanistan as a military lawyer to the Royal Australian Regiment and Australian Special Forces respectively. When he joined the Australian Defence Force, he swore an oath to fight for Australian values. As a lawyer, he also had a duty to the public and to the rule of law and the administration of justice. He had a legal duty to report any misconduct he witnessed.  
Over his two deployments in Afghanistan as a military lawyer, David became increasingly concerned that the war was dictated by politics rather than the best interests of Australians and Australian soldiers. David saw the Rule of Law and the rules of war not being followed, and indeed being breached with complete impunity because of the indifference of Command. David saw people in leadership avoiding tough decisions because their political careers were more important than people’s lives.