CPSU has championed a more transparent, accountable public sector with better protections for whistleblowers.
As a union, we have seen situations where public servants are aware of wrongdoing, but their attempts are hobbled by the existing structures and a lack of protections, most notably with robodebt. In our submission to the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme, we highlighted how Services Australia weaponised the APS Code of Conduct to silence legitimate concerns from frontline workers that were raised internally. They were silenced, ignored or punished.
Public sector workers should not be forced to decide between their own job security and making whistleblower disclosures. It is in the public interest for APS employees to be able to do both. Workers should also not have to choose between doing what is right and their psychological safety. Potential whistleblowers need to be protected when they access support and advice such as from their relevant union, which they cannot do right now.
After years of delay under the previous Government, some progress has finally been made in reforming the Public Interest Disclosure (PID) Act with the first tranche passed in 2023 and the consultation on the second stage of PID Act Reforms underway.
The second stage of reforms needs to improve whistleblower protections for the public sector and improve consistency with the private sector. CPSU is calling for:
- A properly resourced, independent whistleblower protection function within government that provides active support to whistleblowers,
- Safe, effective and accessible protections for whistleblowers to access union support,
- Enforceable duties on agencies to protect whistleblowers,
- Easier access to effective remedies, and
- Coverage of all those doing public sector work, including contracted Commonwealth service providers and individuals employed under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act, and
- Extending whistleblower protections beyond the public sector to the corporate sector.