David McBride, a former Australian Army lawyer and whistleblower, has been released from Canberra prison on parole after serving the full non-parole period of 27 months for leaking Afghanistan war documents to the media.

In his first public comments since parole, McBride thanked his family and supporters, expressed gratitude toward the Attorney-General and fellow prisoners, and disclosed a treatable early-stage lung cancer requiring imminent surgery.

McBride pleaded guilty to three charges after the government intervened to withhold evidence on national security grounds, a move the government said could jeopardize Australia’s security.

Campaigners from The Information Rights Project, founded by Gabriel Shipton, helped advocate for his release and publicize his statements after parole.

Parole was confirmed by a spokesperson for Attorney-General Michelle Rowland, with the government noting that specific details about individual parole matters are not publicly provided.

During 2014-2015, McBride reportedly took 235 defence documents from Canberra-area offices, including 207 classified as secret and some marked as cabinet documents.

McBride served the full non-parole period of 27 months and will undergo a further three years of supervision under parole.

McBride disclosed that his whistleblowing involved disclosures to journalists used in ABC's Afghanistan Files, which alleged illegal killings by Australian soldiers, though he maintained his actions were not unlawful.

He was sentenced in May 2024 to up to five years and eight months in jail for stealing and leaking secret defence documents related to the Afghanistan war, with 235 documents involved.

Parole was granted on August 13, 2026, with McBride to serve the remainder of his sentence in the community under supervision.

Reactions to his release were mixed, with some supporters framing it as whistleblowing in the public interest and others highlighting impacts on whistleblower protection and justice.

McBride is reportedly receiving treatment for early-stage lung cancer, including upcoming surgery, and has expressed a wish to reconnect with his dog Jake.