You might know him as the conviction politician who speaks out on issues like poker machines, euthanasia and war.

But independent MP Andrew Wilkie first made national headlines as a whistleblower who took a very big risk in the name of truth.

As Australia geared up to join the US in the Iraq War in 2003, he was working as an analyst for an intelligence agency that reported to the Prime Minister. Here he says he found himself at an extraordinary ethical crossroads on discovering our government’s claims to justify the war were untrue. 

"The government was lying to the Australian people about why we should support to the US and join in the invasion of Iraq in 2003," Mr Wilkie says. "I felt ultimately I had a moral duty to alert people to this dishonesty."

In this interview with our colleague Joey Watson at Secrets We Keep: Uncovered, Mr Wilkie speaks candidly about whistleblowing against the official narrative, the personal cost of his actions and what it means to challenge power in the lead-up to war.

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