It should be noted that in Kesssing’s case, the previous government didn’t have the guts to go after the journalists concerned in the disclosure (which led to $200m of reforms at Sydney airport, but they prosecuted the poor retired public servant who was presumably a softer touch. This is straight out of the Mao Zedong management philosophy of ” execute one educate a thousand”.

A government serious about good governance would facilitate whistleblowing, and give some effective statutory protection to both the whistleblower and journalistic channels through which information is provided. Without reflecting on the independence of the judiciary, it would appear that the government is hedging its bets hoping that will have more power over judiciary in protecting its own backside from whistleblowers.