A Secret Australia: Revealed by the WikiLeaks Exposés

by Peter Cronau (Editor), Felicity Ruby (Editor)

In A Secret Australia , nineteen prominent Australians discuss what Australia has learnt about itself from the WikiLeaks revelations—revelations about a secret Australia of hidden rules and loyalty to hidden agendas. However Australians may perceive their nation’s place in the world—as battling sports stars, dependable ally, or good international citizen—WikiLeaks has shown us a startlingly different story. The revelations flowing from the releases of millions of secret and confidential official documents by WikiLeaks have helped Australians to better understand why the world is not at peace, why corruption continues to flourish, and why democracy is faltering. This greatest ever leaking of hidden government documents in world history yields knowledge that is essential if Australia, and the rest of the world, is to grapple with the consequences of covert, unaccountable, and unfettered power.

Genres: Nonfiction

280 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2020

Reviews

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting read. Although they took different perspectives, some of the stories overlapped and were a bit repetitive.

[Rachael McDiarmid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full confession: I'm working with the contributors in a professional capacity but this review is a personal one. I've been one of those Australians who has read about Wikileaks and Julian Assange but never REALLY THOUGHT about what it all means. Until now. Julian Assange is being punished for DOING HIS JOB AS A JOURNALIST. The essays in this book highlight everything that is wrong - from human rights to Australian and U.S. politics, international affairs, media, journalism and more. It really is a must read book, written by people who are much closer to the issues and have a full grasp of what they mean and what they are (and we should be) fighting for. The prominent Australians who have contributed to the book are smart, intellectuals (hence the 1 star missing as my brain isn't at their level!). I don't often read non-fiction or politics but this book is eye-opening. Absolutely eye-opening. If you care about freedom of speech, freedom of the media, and making governments accountable to us all, read this book or at least some of the extracts online. And get behind the movement to #FreeJulianAssangeNow

[Jeremy Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every chapter is different in this compilation, and each aims to tackle a different area in which the WikiLeaks exposés affected or exposed Australian politics. Many of the essays cover Australia's subservient role in the the Five Eyes alliance, some veer into general whistleblower theory and the horrible treatment of Assange, and almost every one of them attempts to cover WikiLeaks' history.

There's a lot of overlap on that last point, and it felt unnecessary for each new essay to give its own summary of the Collateral Murder release and other important points. But one gets the feeling these essays were edited for grammar and at most structure, not for content. Some of the essays seem written specifically for the book, and some were republished from elsewhere. I don't hold it against the editors/authors, since everyone here is essentially working for free, with all proceeds going to the Courage Foundation.

It jumps from topic to topic, but altogether it'll give the reader a better picture of how Australia goes about its role in the world, most of all its place in the US alliance. I found one chapter particularly illuminating on the subject of the Dismissal, and there's some interesting stuff about the norms of classifying documents, interoperability between defence forces, spying on allies, out of control intelligence services, and more. I'm expecting to get more from The WikiLeaks Files (since a lot of Aus' foreign policy is simply what the US will allow anyway), but I still felt like this was a worthwhile read.

[Lee Belbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A scary education, thanks to the experience and diversity of the contributors. I wish that everyone would read this and then do what they can to ensure we don't end up in a more modern variant of 1984.