30th Nov 2020, 12:31 PM – Representatives Motions - Mcbride, Mr David William - Don't let a vote happen

The majority voted in favour of disagreeing with a motion to suspend the usual procedural rules - known as standing orders - that would have allowed another vote to take place.

Motion text

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the following motion being moved immediately—That the House:

(1) notes that:

(a) on 19 November 2020 the Australian Defence Force's Afghanistan Inquiry Report was released, revealing shocking revelations of war crimes allegedly committed by ADF personnel;

(b) Major David McBride had been bravely warning Defence about command failings and a deliberate blindness to the conduct of the war in internal reports since 2014 and of course his career was ruined;

(c) when the ADF took no effective action after a multitude of approaches from him, Major McBride disclosed information to the ABC, which formed the basis for The Afghan Files, which raised the alarm on all of the matters now before us in the Afghanistan Inquiry Report;

(d) Mr McBride has been charged with numerous Commonwealth offences as a direct response to his heroic whistleblowing; and

(e) Mr McBride now faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison; and

(2) calls on the Government to drop all charges against Mr McBride.