Queensland agencies would owe a duty of care to whistleblowers, and have clearer obligations for dealing with them, if the Wilson Review's recommendations are accepted.
The Queensland Government's comprehensive, root and branch review into the public sector's whistleblowing legislation is now complete with broad, significant change to the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010 (PID Act) recommended.
While the Queensland Government broadly supports the findings of the Report and is committed to renewing the whistleblowing framework, it is yet to announce if all or only some of the 107 recommendations will be adopted, or the timeframe for adoption. Despite this, given the broadscale nature of the changes and amendments recommended by the Review, it is important that public sector agencies and officers are aware of the key recommendations and reforms proposed by the Review.
The Review's 107 separate recommendations can be best understood and considered by reference to six broad themes in the Review report.
Theme 1: A new Act
The Review concluded that the scale and scope of the necessary changes and amendments to the PID Act are of such significance as to require the replacement of the PID Act with a new Act, that has a new title, clarified objects, and is simpler to use and easier to understand. As part of this, the Review recommended that the term "whistleblower" be included in the title of the new legislation to highlight the purpose of the Act and in that capacity make it...
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