The Albanese Government is being pushed to take the opportunity to enact stronger legal protections for whistleblowers and establish a Whistleblower Protection Authority, at a Parliamentary Inquiry today.

The Human Rights Law Centre, Transparency International Australia and Griffith University will today give evidence to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee Inquiry examining the Whistleblower Protection Authority Bill, introduced by crossbench MPs and Senators.

The bill is a landmark piece of legislation which would establish a body with the power to oversee and enforce whistleblower protections, facilitate whistleblower disclosures, and safeguard whistleblowers from inside government or business who expose corruption and wrongdoing.

During the Albanese Government’s term, separate reviews of public sector and corporate whistleblower protections have commenced but are yet to progress – while war crimes whistleblower David McBride has been sentenced to jail, and tax office whistleblower Richard Boyle was forced to plead guilty after losing a whistleblowing defence.

Kieran Pender, Associate Legal Director at the Human Rights Law Centre said:  

“Whistleblowers make Australia a better place, but too many whistleblowers have lost their jobs, faced lawsuits or suffered enormous personal repercussions for speaking up to expose wrongdoing.

“This bill is a pivotal opportunity for the Albanese Government to address these failings, fix our laws, and ensure comprehensive legal protections for whistleblowers.”

Professor A J Brown AM, Chair of Transparency International Australia and Professor of Public Policy & Law at Griffith University, said:  

“It took more than 20 years for governments to accept Australia needed a national anti-corruption agency. But no integrity system can work without a competent body to ensure whistleblower protections work in practice, not just on paper.

“The time is right to ensure justice for our most valuable but vulnerable workers and professionals, through concrete measures to help those who speak up under any of our federal whistleblowing laws.”

Sharon Kelsey, a former anti-corruption whistleblower said: 

“I know first-hand the toll whistleblowing can take. Speaking up shouldn’t mean financial ruin, career destruction, or years of legal battles. Without a properly resourced authority to enforce protections, our laws are hollow promises. This bill is about making sure those who do the right thing aren’t left to fight alone.”

The Human Rights Law Centre, Transparency International Australia and Griffith University will appear before the inquiry at 9am, Wednesday 13 August. Watch the live stream here.

Read the joint submission to the inquiry here.