Whistleblowers are a vital part of Australian democracy, playing a crucial role in the integrity and accountability of public and private institutions each and every day.
A Whistleblower Protection Authority would be a new, dedicated statutory agency or office which will make Australia’s federal whistleblowing laws work. The Whistleblower Protection Authority would do this by enforcing improved legal protections for people from inside agencies or organisations who raise concerns about wrongdoing under federal laws; providing support, information and assistance to prospective, current and former whistleblowers; facilitating receipt and referral of whistleblowing disclosures; investigating and addressing complaints of unfair treatment; and playing an important role in monitoring, advocacy and outreach in support of integrity, accountability and fair treatment of those who speak up. Right now, a Whistleblower Protection Authority is the missing piece of Australia’s integrity landscape.
These draft design principles, jointly developed by Transparency International Australia, the Human Rights Law Centre, and Griffith University’s Centre for Governance & Public Policy, provide a basis for policy dialogue to inform the design and establishment of the new body.