Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We've just witnessed what decades of powerful people lying has led to. Truth in politics goes back a long way, I'll give you that. But the post-truth world, this concept that somehow you can create your own reality if you're powerful enough, if you have a big enough platform, if you have the media in your pocket, goes back to possibly one of the greatest lies of all—the lie that led us into the Iraq war in 2003.

If powerful people lie with no consequences, with no accountability, then we are bound to repeat the mistakes in our history. In just a few weeks time it will be the 18th anniversary of the biggest protests and marches that we have seen in this nation. Half a million people around this country marched to stop Australia joining the coalition of the willing and going to an illegal, unilateral, unethical war—a war which nothing good has come from, which has created more instability in the Middle East and more global terrorism and which caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

I can't think of a more important time in history than now to be nominating Mr Julian Paul Assange and WikiLeaks for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, and I'm very proud that my colleague Senator Rice and I, supported by the Australian Greens, have formally nominated Julian Assange and WikiLeaks for that most distinguished prize. Granting him the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize would convey the vital link between peace and a free press. This is more urgent and relevant than ever.

The achievement of genuine and lasting peace requires truthful information in the hands of movements, parliamentarians and people. Assange is being prosecuted for exposing real numbers of civilians who had been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, thousands upon thousands of people who were the victims of bombings, maiming and torture. He has also published information about journalists killed by Western forces in Iraq. The information released by Assange in WikiLeaks has been used as evidence in court cases all around this globe, freeing prisoners and exposing scandals, torture, murder and illegal surveillance.

For this work Assange is in the health ward of Belmarsh prison, facing extradition and charges attracting a virtual death sentence in the US—the country whose war crimes he exposed. Julian Assange has sacrificed everything—everything—so that we can better understand our world, the impacts of lies, and lies in politics especially, and the wars that we find ourselves seemingly eternally caught up in. Awarding Assange and WikiLeaks the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize would demonstrate that, in facing truth about war and militarism, courageous action can be taken to realise peace and justice.

I remind the chamber that everything published by WikiLeaks was 100 per cent factual. That's never been denied. But it embarrassed many powerful people, including many who took us to this illegal war. Half a million Australians protested, but it made no difference at all. I have a message for you, Julian, if you're listening. I am standing in the Australian Senate and I'm saying to you that I am proud to have nominated you and WikiLeaks for this award. You have a lot of support and it is growing by the day. Have courage, as you always have, and have faith that we will get you out of Belmarsh prison and we will not let you be extradited to the US.