Crossbench independent MP Andrew Wilkie has just introduced the Whistleblower Protection Authority Bill into the parliament, which is supported by Helen Haines, David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie and aims to establish a body with the power to oversee and enforce whistleblower protections.

Whistleblowers, transparency advocates and human rights groups have welcomed a push for an independent Whistleblower Protection Authority, with a landmark piece of legislation being introduced to Federal Parliament today.   

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

Whistleblowers make Australia a better place by exposing human rights violations, government wrongdoing and corporate misdeeds. Whistleblowers are being punished for speaking the truth – from experiencing retaliation at work or even facing prosecution.  

A Whistleblower Protection Authority would be a game-changer to ensure that whistleblowers are protected and supported. We commend the crossbench for pursuing this landmark reform.”   

You can read more on the need for whistleblower protections in Australia, here Making Australia’s Whistleblowing Law Work: Draft design principles for a Whistleblower Protection Authority developed by Transparency International Australia, Human Rights Law Centre and Griffith University’s Centre for Governance & Public Policy.