Skip to main content

Ribbon

  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Glossary
  • News & media
Fair Work Commission logo

Fair Work Commission

Australia's national workplace relations tribunal
Search is closed
Menu is closed

Search

Main menu

  • Awards & agreements
    • Minimum wages & conditions
    • Awards
    • Agreements
    • Legislation & regulations for awards & agreements
  • Cases, decisions & orders
    • Major cases
    • Summaries of significant decisions
    • Decisions by keywords
    • FWC Bulletin
    • Archived decisions & orders
    • Transcripts
    • Court reviews
    • Historical cases
  • Registered organisations
    • Fact sheets, templates & webinars
    • Find registered organisations
    • Find State-recognised associations
    • Registration
    • Running a registered organisation
    • Entry permits
    • Industrial action
    • Gazette notices
    • Lodgment
  • Resources
    • Online lodgment
    • Forms
    • Where to get legal help
    • Research
    • Workplace Relations Education Series
    • Benchbooks
    • Fact sheets, guides & videos
    • Practice notes
    • Resources in other languages
    • Case studies
    • Quarterly practitioner updates
    • Related sites
  • Termination of employment
    • Unfair dismissal
    • General protections dismissal
    • Unlawful termination
    • How the Commission works
  • Disputes at work
    • Fairness in the workplace
    • Resolving issues at the Commission
    • Cooperative Workplaces program
    • JobKeeper disputes
    • General protections (unlawful actions)
    • Anti-bullying
    • Industrial action
    • Awards & enterprise agreements disputes
    • Disputes about entry
    • Casual conversion disputes
    • How the Commission works
  • Home
  • About us
  • Legal
Back to top

Public interest disclosure scheme

Print this page

 

Table of contents

On this page

  • Introduction
  • Making a public interest disclosure

 

Introduction

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (the PID Act) commenced on 15 January 2014.

The PID Act creates a public interest disclosure scheme that promotes integrity and accountability in the Australian public sector by:

  • encouraging and facilitating the disclosure of information by public officials about suspected wrongdoing in the public sector
  • ensuring that public officials who make public interest disclosures are supported and protected from adverse consequences, and
  • ensuring that disclosures by public officials are properly investigated and dealt with.

The public interest disclosure scheme extends beyond the Australian Public Service to a wide range of Commonwealth entities, including Commonwealth companies and authorities, and contracted service providers.

The PID Act places a number of obligations on agencies including the:

  • establishment of procedures to deal with public interest disclosures
  • appointment of authorised officers to handle disclosures
  • proper investigation of disclosures, and
  • protection of staff from detriment, or threats of detriment, if they make a disclosure.

The Commonwealth Ombudsman

The Commonwealth Ombudsman is responsible for promoting awareness and understanding of the PID Act and monitoring its operation.

The Ombudsman has prepared a range of information sheets, guides and presentations about the public interest disclosure scheme. In particular, the Ombudsman has issued a guide to making a disclosure under the PID Act which includes information about:

  • who can make a public interest disclosure
  • what information can be disclosed (that is, what is 'disclosable conduct')
  • who can a public interest disclosure be made to, and
  • what happens once a public interest disclosure has been made.

These publications can be found under Public interest disclosure scheme on the Commonwealth Ombudsman's website.

The Fair Work Commission

The Fair Work Commission encourages and supports the reporting of wrongdoing by current or former public officials in accordance with the PID Act, and will take active steps to support and to protect persons who make disclosures under the PID Act.

Definition of 'public official'

'Public official' is a broad term which includes any person who is or was employed or appointed by the Australian Government (including members of the Defence Force and the Australian Federal Police), staff of Commonwealth companies, Commonwealth authorities and statutory agencies, the Parliamentary Service, statutory officeholders and service providers under contract to the Commonwealth.

Making a public interest disclosure

Current and former public officials (including staff of the Commission and its predecessors) may make a disclosure under the Public interest disclosure scheme.

Public interest disclosures concerning the Fair Work Commission can be made by emailing the Commission’s Authorised Officers at:

  • PID@fwc.gov.au

In addition to receiving public interest disclosures, Authorised Officers are also able to provide information about how to make a public interest disclosure and about the protections given to disclosers under the PID Act.

Updated time

Last updated

19 June 2019

Footer

  • Site map
  • Legal
  • Copyright
  • Accessibility

Ribbon

  • About us
    • COVID-19 information
      • COVID-19 & awards
      • COVID-19 & enterprise agreements
      • COVIDSafe app & workplace rights
      • COVID-19 updates
    • Jobkeeper disputes
    • National workplace relations system
      • Coverage
      • National employment standards
      • The Commission & the Fair Work Ombudsman
    • Contact us
      • Commission offices
      • Complaints & feedback
      • Accessibility
    • Events
      • International perspectives on dispute resolution conference
      • Asia & Pacific regional conference & training course
    • Consultation
      • Client experience feedback & research
    • Members & case allocations
      • List of Commission Members
      • Case allocation system
        • BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) Projects
        • Barangaroo South Development Project
        • Chevron Gorgon Gas Project
        • Cross River Rail Project
        • INPEX Timor Sea Oil & Gas Project
        • Wheatstone Gas Project
      • List of industries
    • Operations
      • Service charter
      • Statement of commitment to Indigenous Australians
      • What's Next
      • Future Directions
        • Productivity & engaging with industry
        • Future Directions pilots
          • Agreements triage pilot
          • General protections assistance for self-represented parties pilot
          • General protections conciliators pilot
          • Permission to appeal pilot
          • Unfair dismissal cooling-off pilot
          • Unfair dismissal pro bono pilot program
      • Budgets & expenditure
        • Audit Committee
      • Tenders & contracts
      • Grants
      • Agency file listing
      • Commission engagement activities
        • International engagement
        • Stakeholder user groups
    • Executive
    • History
    • Legislation & regulations
      • Small Business Fair Dismissal Code
    • Reports & publications
      • Annual reports
      • Quarterly reports
      • General Manager's reports
        • Reports
        • Research
      • Subscribe to updates
    • Careers
      • How to apply for a job at the Commission
    • Legal
      • Copyright
      • Disclaimer
      • Privacy
        • Privacy policy
        • Privacy Impact Assessment Register
      • Freedom of information
        • Privacy notice – Freedom of information & privacy
        • FOI disclosure log
      • Information publication scheme
      • Information publication plan
      • Public interest disclosure scheme
  • Contact us
    • Commission offices
    • Complaints & feedback
      • Complaints about lawyers & paid agents
      • Procedure for dealing with complaints about Members
    • Accessibility
  • Glossary
  • News & media
    • Latest news
    • Media releases
    • Speeches
    • News archive

Footer

  • Site map
  • Legal
  • Copyright
  • Accessibility

Coronavirus (COVID-19) information