New Australian Angle in Ship Bombing Case Revealed by Unreleased Documents

Unreleased documents have shed fresh light on Australia’s role in the 1985 Rainbow Warrior bombing, exposing a troubling lack of cooperation that hindered justice in the French state-sponsored attack. This new evidence, uncovered in a 374-page Australian government file, reignites debate over accountability and national security priorities, particularly in light of the current Labor government’s foreign policy approach.

The Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace vessel, was bombed by French Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) agents in Auckland Harbour, New Zealand, on July 10, 1985, killing photographer Fernando Pereira. The ship was set to protest French nuclear testing in the Pacific. According to investigative journalist Richard Baker, whose podcast Fallout: Spies on Norfolk Island delves into the scandal, Australian authorities obstructed efforts to apprehend four additional DGSE agents who fled to Norfolk Island, an Australian territory. “The lack of cooperation was staggering,” Baker noted in an SBS Audio interview, highlighting how Australia’s inaction allowed the agents to evade capture despite a narrow 24-hour window for their arrest under Australian law.

These documents reveal a deliberate choice by Australian officials to prioritize diplomatic relations with France over supporting New Zealand’s investigation into what was effectively an act of state terrorism. This decision raises questions about sovereignty and the willingness to confront powerful allies, a concern that resonates today as the Labor government navigates complex international partnerships like the Australia, United Kingdom, United States (AUKUS) pact. Critics argue that such historical missteps reflect a pattern of prioritizing geopolitics over principle, a stance that deserves scrutiny given Labor’s current diplomatic posturing.

The bombing’s 40th anniversary has prompted renewed calls for accountability. David Robie, a journalist aboard the Rainbow Warrior before the attack, emphasized in his book Eyes of Fire that Australia and New Zealand must address Pacific nations’ concerns over nuclear legacies and environmental damage with greater urgency. The unreleased files underscore the need for transparency to prevent similar failures in the future. As Australia faces modern challenges like AUKUS and regional security, this case serves as a stark reminder: justice and national interest must not be sacrificed for appeasement. The public deserves answers, and history demands better.