Establishing a dedicated Whistleblower Protection Authority will address these gaps by ensuring agencies properly recognise disclosures and providing a confidential, independent avenue for whistleblowers to seek guidance and support. Furthermore, a dedicated Whistleblower Protection Authority could enact the five key recommendations detailed in the article, ensuring the implementation of essential reforms.

1. The agency must actually protect whistleblowers – The agency must genuinely protect whistleblowers, as protection is key to ensuring trustworthiness and effectiveness.

2. Capture the financial benefits of whistleblowing - including implementing whistleblower reward schemes. A whistleblowing agency needs full resources to support whistleblowers in compensation claims, provide legal assistance, and mediate with agencies to secure remedies.

3. Protect whistleblowers across all sectors – ensuring the authority is trained in compliance, integrity, and human resources. Individuals should feel empowered, ethical, and right to speak up as whistleblowers.

4. Ensure agencies respond properly to whistleblowers – By effectively identifying, protecting, and addressing their disclosures. An independent agency should oversee this process to ensure it is properly managed.

5. An independent , standalone body - Whistleblower protection must be recognised as a standalone job, with an independent statutory commissioner supported by adequate resources and staff who cannot be diverted to other tasks. The authority should work closely with other agencies, especially those that already investigate whistleblowing disclosures.

An independent authority will ensure trustworthiness and effectiveness by ensuring these protections are fully implemented in practice.

1. Poor consistency across the country and between goverment and the private sector in protections, and frameworks for dealing with disclosures by whistleblowers let along safeguards for the whistlblower.

2. The lack of an Federal independent authority to deal with whistlblowers disclosures and support the whistleblower. This has been advocated for strongly by some of the Teals and there is still hope there may be something in this term of parliament.

3. The real and perceived impacts on a whistleblowers life in making a report. Just look at current examples.

4. Mentioned above but consistent case management and support for a whistleblower that could exist under a Federal independent authority.

Having a one stop shop rather than where to I go for what.

The lack of the Framework also means no end to end process including supports for the whistleblowe

Lack of compensatory schemes given the ikely loss of future income.

Creating these mechanisms would bring trust into the system for whistleblowes.

1. An independent authority that reports back to parliament like IBAC, the auditor-general

2. Clear legilsative frameworks that don't restrict in the same way as IBAC was.

3. A support service focused on case management and other supports for the whistleblower through time

4. An adequate compensatory scheme funded through penalites on organisations and/or a fee structure that has ESG credits for member organisations or a mixture of both.

5. Transparency on reporting to parliament

By creating an independent and dedicated protection authority sitting across both state and federal jurisdictions applying a consistent focus on investigating whistleblower complaints and enforcing remediation would assist in resolving the current gaps.  This authority must be sufficiently resourced to educate, support, impartially investigate and protect whistleblowers, and when necessary, compensate and stop unfair litigious backlash against those who speak up. With the implementation of these essential reforms will help promote trust in the whistle-blower laws

Similarly, this approach needs to be applied across all industries – not just focused on the public service – as many NFP and private companies are engaged by the public purse. 

Finally, the need for a standalone and independent body.  This dedicated Whistleblower Protection Authority would ensure transparent and accurate reporting, oversee investigations and protect whistleblowers, effectively discourage reprisals, enforce protections and with the establishment of a compensatory body be sustainable.

The authority needs to be sufficiently resourced and staffed.  Whilst having a knowledge of other agencies that deal with misconduct and wrongdoing, it must also be impartial and politically neutral as it may need to investigate these same agencies transparently to ensure their accountability.

The WPA function is to be a central, confidential access point for whistle-blowers to obtain guidance, support and report disclosable matters irrespective of which industry, organisation or location they may represent whilst operating within the laws of Australia.  The WPA will investigate, report and provide mediation as a neutral regulatory body.  It will hold those to account by correctly handling, reporting and, where necessary, apply penalties or recover funds for whistleblower matters disclosed.  In future it could also consider the implementation of reward models to promote confidence in the scheme and be sustainable.  It must also regularly monitor its own effectiveness and compliance with Australian law.

Whistleblower protections across the sectors fall short, creating an overall lack of support, fear of speaking up, and various cultural barriers.

Whistleblowers take high risks for continually low rates of compensation, and a burden of proving that any retaliation was linked to any disclosure.

Establishment of an dedicated whistleblower protection authority (WPA) would provide impartial support to whistleblowers throughout all stages of the process, including support for compensation claims, resourcing to provide legal assistance and meditation for whistleblowers with agencies to facilitate feasible solutions and security.

Differing laws across the sectors, private/public/NFP as well as for federal v state does not provide adequate support and protection to whistleblowers, efficient audit processes, or impartial facilitation of initial disclosure reviews or policy evaluations.

whistleblowers are suffering personal or professional consequences from retaliation and discrimination.

- Flexible and accessible processes for receiving concerns

- Effective policy and procedure for immediately assessing and dealing with any concerns raised

- Supportive and collaborative approach to what support and protections a whistleblower may need

- Independence is crucial, as well as proper training and resources for any personnel in dealing with any disclosures

These challenges could be addressed by a dedicated Whistleblower Protection Authority that would work to remove the identified gaps and provide consistent advice and support for whistleblowers across industries. The Whistleblower Protection Authority would address the key challenges whistleblowers currently face in Australia and increase the likelihood of disclosure of unethical, illegal, or improper conduct within an organisation.

Centralising whistleblower support will provide a clear pathway for those wanting to disclose, leading to consistency and overall effectiveness. Setting the agency up as an independent Commonwealth organisation that will be a single-entry point for any whistleblower enquiries will instil trust with those that wish to use it.

In terms of structure, the article recommends a standalone, independent commissioner supported by dedicated resources and staff. Being independent ensures the authority can act impartially to conciliate disputes, investigate allegations of detriment and provide a strong authority against reprisals.

• Risk of retaliation, including personal, professional, financial and legal consequences.

• Lack of remedies (including compensation) to address the impacts/repercussions that a whistleblower would face by uncovering wrongdoing.

• Poor implementation of whistleblower protections at institutions, due to gaps in key roles/functions required to make the whistleblowing laws work (e.g., psychosocial support, awareness and training etc.)

• Inconsistent protections across sectors

A dedicated whistleblower protection authority could address the above challenges and strengthen government accountability, ensuring integrity in processes. A dedicated authority could serve to fill in gaps needed to make whistleblowing laws effective, such as providing advisory and support services, and independent review.