A secret trial is a trial that is not open to the public or generally reported in the news, especially any in-trial proceedings. Generally, no official record of the case or the judge's verdict is made available. Often there is no indictment. Secret trials have been characteristic of many dictatorships in the modern era, but are also used in many democratic nations, with the explanation of being necessary for national security. They are a hotly debated topic in many circles, but are generally accepted in the western world as they are seen as protecting the "greater good". Australia It is possible that some wholly-secret trials occurred in Australia during World War I or World War II. In the 21st century, several secret trials have occurred or are set to occur in Australia: In 2018, "Witness J" was tried and imprisoned by the Australian government in near-total secrecy. The existence of Witness J was discovered only by chance by a judge, and the scant details were reported to the media. The Attorney General of the Australian Capital Territory, where Witness J was imprisoned, was not aware of the case. Witness J is a former employee of one of Australia's intelligence agencies, but the identity and alleged crimes are still not public. Independent National Security Legislation Monitor James Renwick said that the level of secrecy in Witness J's case was "unprecedented". From 2018 to 2021, the lawyer Bernard Collaery and "Witness K" were prosecuted by the Australian government with a high degree of secrecy, and part of their upcoming trial will be held in secret. The Liberal-National Coalition government of John Howard had helped secure the independence of impoverished Timor Leste from Indonesia. Negotiations were underway over fossil fuel deposits located in the sea between Timor Leste and Australia. The Howard government spied on the new Timor Leste government, and used that as leverage in negotiations to aid Australian company Woodside Petroleum. Collaery and Witness K are accused of sharing this with the Australian media and the Timor Leste government. Collaery was Witness K's lawyer at the time. Witness K has pleaded guilty, while Collaery has not. From 2018 to 2021, the former military lawyer David McBride was prosecuted by the Australian government for leaking details of alleged war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan. McBride reported the crimes to superiors in the Australian Defence Force but felt that the evidence