16th May 2024, 7:26 PM – Senate Public Service Amendment Bill 2023 - Second Reading - Whistleblower protections

The majority voted against an amendment to the usual second reading motion, which means the original motion will remain as it is. The original motion is "that the bill be read a second time" (parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill).

Amendment text

At the end of the motion, add ", but the Senate:

(a) notes that effective whistleblower protections are a central feature in ensuring transparency, integrity and accountability in the Australian Public Service; and

(b) is of the opinion that:

(i) reform to the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 must be a priority before the end of this term of Parliament, with comprehensive, accessible reform that ensures public servants can speak up safely and securely about wrongdoing,

(ii) until such reform is enacted, Australian whistleblowers will continue to be discouraged from speaking up about wrongdoing,

(iii) law reform for public and private sector whistleblowers must be accompanied by institutional changes to ensure whistleblowers are appropriately supported and assisted to blow the whistle; and

(iv) following the bipartisan recommendations of the Senate Select Committee on Public Interest Whistleblowing in 1994 and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services in 2017, a whistleblower protection authority must be established to oversee and enforce whistleblowing laws and support whistleblowers".