ABC asks to join whistleblower legal case

The ABC has sought involvement in the case of whistleblower David McBride, who has been charged over leaking documents to the broadcaster.

David William McBride, 55, was committed to stand trial in May on a charge of theft of commonwealth property, three counts of breaching the Defence Act and the unauthorised disclosure of information.

At a directions hearing in the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday, a lawyer for the commonwealth said the ABC had written to all parties proposing to vary orders in the case, as it related to police raids at the broadcaster's Sydney headquarters.

The case was adjourned until July 11.

The former military lawyer says the ABC are arguing to change the orders as the leaked documents were in their possession and they therefore have an interest in them.

"And they've said as a national broadcaster if it's going to be a closed court they want to be like the referee, I guess," McBride told reporters outside court.

Information involved in the case is classified as secret, which McBride says could take years to lift.

While he would prefer media reporting on the trial be allowed, he believes having a closed court could benefit his case because it would allow him to share frankly what happened in Afghanistan, and in cabinet meetings and with Defence leadership.

McBride's leaks were to journalists Dan Oakes, Andrew Clark and Chris Masters from the ABC, who produced the 2017 investigative report The Afghan Files.

The recent raids at the ABC came off the back of those stories, which alleged Australian soldiers may have carried out unlawful killings in Afghanistan.

The ABC is now asking the Federal Court to declare the search warrant invalid and is seeking a permanent injunction stopping the AFP accessing the electronic files removed from Ultimo on a sealed USB stick.

McBride, representing himself in court, said he was motivated to share the documents to show the government were working for themselves rather than for the benefit of Australians.

"We work purely to win elections and do things which are really just charades looking like we're doing national security," he said.

"A lot of the things we do pretending to benefit Australia are actually harmful to Australia."

McBride spoke to a 30-strong crowd of supporters before he entered court, with some holding signs calling for whistleblower protections.

He fears being sent to jail for speaking openly about the case.

"I'm slightly nervous every time I speak to the press that the next day the police will come knocking and say you're not allowed to speak to them."