Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, has welcomed the news that the Commonwealth Attorney-General, the Hon Mark Dreyfus QC, has ordered the Commonwealth to drop the charges against Bernard Collaery.
“It’s great news that the Attorney-General has dropped the charges against Bernard Collaery,” Mr Wilkie said. “The fact that Mr Collaery was being prosecuted in the first place was a grave injustice and an outrageous attack on the legal profession, particularly considering he was simply a lawyer doing his job.
“Mr Dreyfus is correct in saying the ‘prosecution should end.’ But the reality is that it never should have begun. The Australian Government is the real villain in this case, having made the appalling decision to spy on East Timor which is one of the poorest countries in south-east Asia.
“While someone should be answering to a court, it certainly should never have been the ASIS whistle-blower and his lawyer.”