Work to do, says Iraq whistleblower turned independent MP Andrew Wilkie - 9News

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie's road to politics was as unconventional as it is impressive.

He was first elected in 2010, representing Tasmania's seat of Denison (now Clarke), holding the balance of power through Julia Gillard's hung parliament.

He is an independent MP, who was independent long before the word "teal" meant anything other than a bluey-green colour.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW ABOVE

Whistleblower turned independent MP, Andrew Wilkie. (Nine)

After 12 years on the crossbench campaigning for open and accountable government, he knows a thing or two about integrity.

But his transparency crusade began much earlier than 2010.

Wilkie's explosion into public life came in 2003 when he blew the whistle on Australia's flawed justifications for entering the war in Iraq.

He resigned from Australia's peak intelligence assessment agency - then called the Office of National Assessments - in protest over the looming war, going public with his concerns.

American forces bring down a bronze statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad's Firdos Square, symbolising the end of the Iraqi president's long and ruthless regime, on April 9, 2003. (Reuters)

He said one week prior to the invasion, the notion that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and co-operated with terrorists had been "a lie".

It was this life-changing decision to shine light on one of the country's deepest, darkest secrets that set him on a rocky road to parliament, and he has only increased his margin at each election since 2010.

He has long campaigned for a federal anti-corruption commission and voted to establish the government's version of one.

Complementary to that, however, are new reforms to better-protect whistleblowers.

Wilkie was first elected in 2010, representing Tasmania's seat of Denison, holding the balance of power through Julia Gillard's hung parliament. (Getty)

The government says these will be delivered in two parts over the next 12 months.

Some might argue, to legislate for whistleblowers the government should consult with whistleblowers.

In that vein, Wilkie's fellow lawmakers may wish to sit down with him, just as Nine News has.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMimwFodHRwczovL3d3dy45bmV3cy5jb20uYXUvbmF0aW9uYWwvd2hpc3RsZWJsb3dlci1hbmRyZXctd2lsa2llLXdvcmstdG8tZG8tc2F5cy1pcmFxLXdoaXN0bGVibG93ZXItdHVybmVkLWluZGVwZW5kZW50LW1wL2JmZWVlMWFiLTA0YmItNDg3MS1iNTg0LWQwMDBhMDMxZTJjMdIBRWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLjluZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9hcnRpY2xlL2JmZWVlMWFiLTA0YmItNDg3MS1iNTg0LWQwMDBhMDMxZTJjMQ?oc=5

2022-12-11 07:46:43Z
CBMimwFodHRwczovL3d3dy45bmV3cy5jb20uYXUvbmF0aW9uYWwvd2hpc3RsZWJsb3dlci1hbmRyZXctd2lsa2llLXdvcmstdG8tZG8tc2F5cy1pcmFxLXdoaXN0bGVibG93ZXItdHVybmVkLWluZGVwZW5kZW50LW1wL2JmZWVlMWFiLTA0YmItNDg3MS1iNTg0LWQwMDBhMDMxZTJjMdIBRWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLjluZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9hcnRpY2xlL2JmZWVlMWFiLTA0YmItNDg3MS1iNTg0LWQwMDBhMDMxZTJjMQ

Bagikan Berita Ini