Division Description Changes — Bills — Public Service Amendment Bill 2023; Second Reading — 16th May 2024

Change	Division
senate vote 2024-05-16#41 Edited by mackay staff on 2024-08-24 16:24:18	Title Bills — Public Service Amendment Bill 2023; Second Reading Public Service Amendment Bill 2023 - Second Reading - Whistleblower protections Description ~~<p class="speaker">Sue Lines</p>~~ <p>I will first deal with the second reading amendment circulated by Senator David Pocock. The question is that the amendment on sheet 2481 be agreed to.</p> The majority voted against an [amendment](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2024-05-16.246.1) 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 establish*ed to oversee and enforce whistleblowing laws and support whistleblowers". <p class="italic"> <i>Senator Pocock's circulated amendment—</i></p> ~~<p class="italic">At the end of the motion, add ", but the Senate:</p>~~ ~~<p class="italic">(a) notes that effective whistleblower protections are a central feature in ensuring transparency, integrity and accountability in the Australian Public Service; and</p>~~ ~~<p class="italic">(b) is of the opinion that:</p>~~ <p class="italic">(i) reform to the <i>Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013</i> 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,</p> ~~<p class="italic">(ii) until such reform is enacted, Australian whistleblowers will continue to be discouraged from speaking up about wrongdoing,</p>~~ <p class="italic">(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</p> <p class="italic">(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".</p> ~~<p></p>~~ ~~<p></p>~~

~~Sue Lines~~
I will first deal with the second reading amendment circulated by Senator David Pocock. The question is that the amendment on sheet 2481 be agreed to.
The majority voted against an [amendment](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2024-05-16.246.1) 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".*
Senator Pocock's circulated amendment—
~~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".
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