The Human Rights Law Centre has called for an overhaul of the Public Interest Disclosure Act (PID Act), the federal law protecting public servant whistleblowers, and a whistleblower protection authority to improve transparency and accountability in Australia’s democracy, in a submission to the Attorney-General’s Department.
Whistleblowers are brave people who expose wrongdoing to hold institutions accountable and prevent wrongdoing. Building on two recent reports, Protecting Australia’s Whistleblowers: The Federal Roadmap (with Transparency International Australia and Griffith University) and The Cost of Courage: Fixing Australia’s Whistleblower Protections, the submission underscores how the PID Act is failing to protect whistleblowers and the need for urgent amendments.
In recent years, a number of Australian whistleblowers have lost their jobs, faced lawsuits or even been prosecuted for speaking up in the public interest. Polling conducted by Essential Media for the Human Rights Law Centre in August found overwhelming public support for stronger whistleblower protections.
In addition to a major overhaul of the law, the submission also calls for the establishment of an independent whistleblower protection authority, and wider reform to other federal laws protecting private sector and non-profit sector whistleblowers.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus’ consideration of reform to the PID Act comes at a critical juncture for transparency and integrity in Australia, following...
The Daily Telegraph removed a false report claiming President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened to "invade Israel," issuing an apology after the story spread through Israeli media. Senior editor Pau...