Pearls and Irritations

More Letters to the Editor in relation to our article “David McBride and the Alexander Maconochie Centre prison in Canberra.”

1. From Anthony Charles Wakeham, Redfern, NSW, Oct 3, 2024

Prof Ross Fitzgerald’s October 1 exposé “David McBride and the Alexander Maconochie Prison in Canberra” should be distributed far and wide.

Most Australians, in fact all good people around the world would be appalled to hear that an honest, military lawyer is being cruelly incarcerated for reporting war crimes. While the people responsible for those crimes walk free.

Even more shocking, is the Judge, who proclaimed that McBride’s “duty”, was to the King and not to the Australian people. The Judge declared that there will be no public interest defence allowed in evidence, and no provision for a trial by jury. Truly, a Kangaroo court, if there ever was one!

As was the case with Julian Assange, David McBride was unable to remain silent and live with himself. So, he did the only honourable thing, he reported the crime.

I believe that the court of public opinion will deliver David McBride as a hero, ultimately, however he is currently languishing in the Alexander Maconochie Centre and should be immediately released.

Anthony Charles Wakeham Redfern NSW

2. From Eamonn O’Hanlon, Sydney, Oct 3, 2024

In relation to our article “David McBride and the Alexander Maconochie Centre prison in Canberra.”

Retributive justice is no justice
I am writing in response to the article entitled “David McBride and the Alexander Maconochie Centre prison in Canberra” by Ross Fitzgerald.

I believe that you can judge a society on how it treats its most vulnerable – and in turn a government on how it treats its detractors. The appalling conditions in which David McBride is kept say more than enough about the modern Australian government.

The Media’s lack of interest in the very real plight of a man whose primary crime is taking action in the public interest (regardless of what the government exclaims) says much about modern Australian society. After all there can be no more vulnerable, than those relieved of their liberty and reliant on their jailers.

There is much to be said about the wider failure of the AMC facility to provide rehabilitative justice – But this is a moot point when discussing McBride specifically. What rehabilitation does the government seek for this man? To remove his power of individual thought, or even better to destroy his ethical compass and as such make him fit for polite society?

Personally I am much more worried about the rehabilitation efforts needed to restore any man after their time at this facility, not least of which is a good man who did what he believed to be right.

I thank Ross Fitzgerald and this publication for shining much needed light on a gross miscarriage of justice, law, basic human decency and the continuing political facade of rehabilitative justice.
Eamonn O’Hanlon, Sydney