Changes To Whet The Whistleblower
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday July 12, 2008
THE Government has moved to protect whistleblowers in the federal public service who expose corruption, illegal activity and misconduct by asking a parliamentary committee to draw up a blueprint for laws that could begin operating next year.
The inquiry, to be headed by the Victorian Labor MP Mark Dreyfus, will report to the Cabinet Secretary, John Faulkner, by February. It will look at extending the range of people protected and consider giving them immunity from civil, criminal and defamation laws.But there may be penalties for those who abuse the rules.Mr Dreyfus told the Herald a public servant who blows the whistle was only protected in limited circumstances and there was no protection for former staff or contractors. He said the inquiry would look at protecting current and former public servants, contractors, consultants and politicians' staff.The inquiry will seek to define what disclosures should be covered, such as exposing illegal activity, corruption, misconduct involving an issue of significant public interest, maladministration, a breach of public trust, scientific misconduct, wasting public funds, danger to public health and safety, and danger to the environment.It will ask whether people who leak information to air disagreements about policy or to cause embarrassment should be covered. It is likely they will be excluded."Whistleblowing is about disclosing corruption [and] misconduct," Mr Dreyfus said."Leaking, by contrast, is about the disclosure of confidential information on government policies with which the leaker disagrees in an attempt to influence the policy process or perhaps just to embarrass the government of the day."He said a workable system of whistleblower laws would lead to "better levels of accountability and transparency" in public administration.
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald