Australians have had a gutful of corruption, but will the latest promises of whistleblower reform be enough?

Whether by accident or design, in the same week the government made submissions to its whistleblower reform inquiry public, World Press Freedom Day reminded everyone of the importance of free, fair and informed societies — something whistleblowers play a huge role in. Australian Tax Office whistleblower Richard Boyle in September

For instance, a proposal to set up a Whistleblower Protection Authority was first raised by the Greens in the early 1990s at a Senate committee into whistleblowing. It resurfaced in 2017 at another parliamentary inquiry into whistleblowing and again in 2019 when Labor promised that if it was elected it would establish such an authority and also set up a whistleblower rewards scheme.

Australians have had a gutful of corruption in the public and private sector and understand the crucial role of whistleblowers. Sports rorts, Robodebt … the list goes on. "As such, it is uncertain whether Part 4 of the NACC Act provides protection to persons who make referrals which do not in fact meet the threshold in the definition of 'corruption issue' in the Act. This could mean that a disclosure which does not in fact raise a corruption issue may not attract the protections," the submission says.

For potential whistleblowers and those who work with whistleblowers, or have been advocating for change, it is a disappointing stance from an entity formed to investigate corruption, part of which would never come to light without whistleblowers coming forward."Today is World Press Freedom Day. It is a reminder of the importance of journalism to our democracy.

Protection Journalism Freedom David Mcbride Richard Boyle Afghan Files ATO Australian Tax Office Government Reform

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