The Australian Law Reform Commission recommended that national security whistleblowers should face criminal sanctions only when their disclosures, "damage national security, interfere with an investigation and endanger someone’s life or safety." The Commission also recommended that a new law create an offense of unauthorized disclosure only in these circumstances.
Today Australia’s Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, tabled the recommendation in Parliament so that the government could review it. The recommendation follows a 2005 disclosure by retired customs officer Allan Kessing about security breaches at Sydney Airport. Kessing was charged with disclosing information without due authorization. He made his disclosure to an opposition member of Parliament and it was published in a periodical two years later. The Herald Sun reports on the action in today’s edition.
