Public Interest Disclosure

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013:

• removes barriers that prevent people who work, or previously worked in the public sector, from speaking up about serious problems that impact on public administration
• ensures that reports of wrongdoing are properly investigated and dealt with
• provides protection to public officials who report allegations of wrongdoing under the PID Act.

About Public Interest Disclosure

A Public Interest Disclosure (PID) is the reporting of wrongdoing in the Commonwealth public sector. This may include conduct which you reasonably believe:

• contravenes a law
• is corrupt
• perverts the course of justice
• results in a wastage of public funds or property
• is an abuse of public trust
• unreasonably endangers health and safety or endangers the environment
• is maladministration, including conduct that is unjust, oppressive or negligent.

Disclosures are about matters where investigation and correction is in the public interest. This does not include disagreements with government policy or expenditure.

Making a public interest disclosure

Public interest disclosures can be made by a public official. This includes:

• any person who is, or was, employed by the Australian Government
• individuals employed by any Commonwealth companies, authorities and statutory agencies, the Parliamentary service, statutory officeholders
• service providers under contract to the Commonwealth and anyone employed by them.

Public interest disclosures can be made orally or in writing:

• by an employee to their supervisor
• to an Authorised Officer
• to publicinterestdisclosure@nhmrc.gov.au
• in very limited circumstances, to a person outside the government other than a foreign official.

The National Health and Medical Research Council has appointed the following Authorised Officers in relation to public interest disclosures:

• Mr Alan Singh
• Dr Julie Glover
• Dr Nicholas Johnson
• Mr Simon Mair

You can also report anonymously, however:

• we cannot ensure you are protected from reprisal
• it can make further investigation difficult, and
• it will be impossible to provide you with updates on the progress of the investigation.

Contact Authorised Officers by:

email: publicinterestdisclosure@nhmrc.gov.au
mail: GPO Box 1421, CANBERRA ACT 2601 – envelope should be marked – ‘Confidential  - NHMRC PID’ 
phone: (02) 6217 9000 and ask to be transferred to one of the Authorised Officers named above. 

Protections offered under the PID Act

If you make a Public Interest Disclosure you will:

• not be subject to any civil, criminal or administrative liability for making a disclosure, unless a designated publication restriction is contravened without reasonable excuse or the disclosure is knowingly false or misleading
• have no contractual or other remedy enforced or sanction imposed on you on the basis of making the disclosure
• have absolute privilege for the purposes of defamation proceedings in respect of the public interest disclosure
• not have a contract to which you are a party terminated on the basis of the disclosure
• have your identity protected.

Information required when making a public interest disclosure

You should provide as much information as possible, including:

• your name and contact details (you can remain anonymous)
• the nature of the wrongdoing
• who committed the wrongdoing
• when and where the wrongdoing occurred
• relevant background information and events
• if anything has been done in response to the wrongdoing
• contact details for anyone else who is aware of the wrongdoing and has allowed it to continue
• whether you believe the information is a public interest disclosure under the PID Act, however it does not need to be described this way for it to be treated as a public interest disclosure
• if you are concerned about possible reprisal as a result of making a disclosure.

More information

For more information, consult the Commonwealth Ombudsman website.

View the Public Interest Disclosure Procedure.