Leading human rights advocates say more changes are needed to enable informants to speak out about injustices in Australia.

Australia is trailing many nations, including the USA, when it comes to support and funding for whistleblowers and greater protections are needed to enable people to come forward, said two of the nation's leading whistleblower advocates.

"The Albanese government talks a good game on transparency," Associate Legal Director at the Human Rights Law Centre and the founder of the Whistleblower Project , Kieran Pender, said. "In some areas they have delivered. We need to push them to do more."

Mr Pender joined Gabriel Shipton, Australian film producer, human rights advocate and founder of The Information Rights Project, at UNSW Sydney's public forum Whistleblowers: In Defence of Truth this week. Lenore Taylor, former editor of Guardian Australia, hosted the discussion.

"Whistleblowers make Australia a better place," Mr Pender said, citing polling that shows 89% of Australians want better whistleblowing laws. "Whether you vote for the Greens, Teals, Libs, Labor or One Nation, you like whistleblowers, but that hasn't yet led to reform."

Whistleblowers in national security cases are often the ones who take the greatest risks, Mr Shipton said, due to the power imbalance between the organisations they scrutinise and the protection laws available to them.

"ASIO has incredible powers just to take you in, question you and not release you," Mr Shipton said. "If...

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