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Whistleblowers Australia

Whistleblowers Australia Inc. is an association for those who have exposed corruption or any form of malpractice, especially if they were then hindered or abused, and for those who are thinking of exposing it or who wish to support those who are doing so.

Please use the link at the left for contact information, or scroll down for membership details.

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News Release

The 'Whistling-While-They-Work' Study led by Griffith University

A draft report resulting from the above study was published on 24 October 2007. One of the participating and funding agencies of the above study is the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in NSW. At about the time the draft report was released, it published an article on its web site entitled New research busts whistleblower bad treatment myth.

Whistleblowers Australia (WBA) believes that there are fundamental flaws in the study. For example, the definition of whistleblower used by the researchers includes employees who had personnel (sic) or workplace grievances. WBA believes the definition should include only public-interest whistleblowers, such as staff who reported corruption, waste, etc., and not those with grievances or internal corporate disputes.

The NSW ICAC's assertion that only 22 per cent of the whistleblowers surveyed said they were treated badly by management or co-workers, besides being premature (as it is based on a draft report) is misleading, as the figure on which it is based included many staff members who were not whistleblowers.

Nonetheless, Whistleblowers Australia would be concerned even if it were true that 'only' 22% of whistleblowers were subsequently victimised, harrassed, or otherwise maltreated. Furthermore, even a figure of 22% hardly supports the ICAC's assertion that it is a myth that whistleblowers are treated badly.

Whistleblowers Australia is preparing a more comprehensive critique of the Whistling-While-They-Work study. This will be published on this web site shortly.

Meanwhile, the President of the NSW Branch of Whistleblowers Australia wrote to the Commissioner of the NSW ICAC on 18 January 2008. A copy of this letter may be viewed or downloaded here as a PDF file. (Windows users: Either click to open the file in a new browser window, or right-click and choose the save as... option to save the file on your computer.) As stated in the letter, WBA has already formally complained to Griffith University and is preparing formal comments on the Griffith University research.

On 10 December 2007 Peter Bennett, the National President of Whistleblowers Australia, wrote to the Commissioner of the Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) of Western Australia in connection with what WBA sees as misinformation in the Commission's newsletter of November 2007. A copy of this letter may be viewed or downloaded here. The reply from the CCC may be found here.

On 19 October 2007 Peter Bennett, the National President of Whistleblowers Australia, wrote to the then Prime Minister, John Howard, requesting that the coalition announce its policies in relation to government transparency and the protection of people who discover and dislose wrongdoing in organisations and particularly in the public sector. This letter may be found here. The reply from the Coalition's Campaign Headquarters dated 9 November 2007, which avoided the questions and merely repeated the Coalition's pre-election sales talk, may be found here.

Further updates are to follow...

~~ The National Committee, Whistleblowers Australia, Inc. 28 January 2008; Updated 26 February 2008 ~~

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Whistleblowers

A person is a whistleblower by her/his actions and does not need to be registered or identified with any organisation.

The goal of Whistleblowers Australia (WBA) is to help promote a society in which it is possible to speak out without reprisal about corruption, dangers to the public and environment, and other vital social issues, and to help those who speak out in this way to help themselves.

WBA uses two main approaches to achieve this goal. The first is to encourage self-help and mutual help among whistleblowers, and the second is to support campaigns on specific issues.

Self-help and mutual help

The best ways for whistleblowers to succeed in their own efforts is for them to develop their own skills and understanding and to exchange insights with others in similar situations. WBA facilitates self-help by providing articles and leaflets to whistleblowers and by publishing a newsletter. The organisation facilitates mutual help by holding meetings of whistleblowers and supporters, and by providing contacts with like-minded individuals and groups.

Campaigns

WBA supports initiatives and ongoing efforts to create a culture where people can speak out without reprisal. Some campaigns are the following:

Whistleblower legislation. Whistleblowers can be protected by laws against reprisals. In 1996 there were five whistleblower acts in Australia, with no conformity between them. All have severe flaws and have been criticised by whistleblower organisations. One problem is that they provide no protection against attacks in the first place.
Free speech for employees. Repressive legislation and bureaucracies inhibit many workers from making disclosures. This legislation needs to be repealed. The right of private sector employees to speak out on issues of social importance also needs to be promoted.

The Organisation

WBA began as Whistleblowers Anonymous in 1991, and was incorporated is its present form in 1993. Membership is open to anyone who supports the goals of the organisation. Members include charity workers, church employees, corporate employees, doctors, police, public servants, researchers, teachers and concerned citizens in general.

WBA has a committee or contact in each state, plus a national committee. Some of the state committees organise regular meetings for whistleblower self-help and mutual help. The national committee maintains links between state groups, handles memberships, produces a newsletter and helps promote campaigns.

In the few years since it was set up, WBA has accomplished a great deal. It has promoted whistleblower legislation, called for royal commissions into corruption and generally given whistleblowing a much higher profile. Just as important is its quiet work in supporting individual whistleblowers. It provides enormous benefits from shared expertise, moral support, access to research, and links to relevant networks.

Nevertheless, there are limits to what WBA can do. It does not normally act as an advocate for individual whistleblowers. It has only minimal funds obtained from memberships. All committee members act on a voluntary basis. Unfortunately, WBA does not have the resources to campaign on any individual's behalf. What WBA can do is provide information and contacts so that whistleblowers and their supporters can become more effective in achieving their own goals.

Unauthorised News Releases in the Name of Whistleblowers Australia, Inc.

Readers should note the following Policy on News Releases, Comment to Media, etc. that was passed as a motion at the AGM on 1 December, 1996, in Sydney:

Any member of the national executive can issue a news release or comment to the media. In normal circumstances, news releases should be checked first with another member of the executive, typically the president, vice-president or director. In all cases, approval should be sought in advance from anyone whose name is given in a release. The same sort of policy should be followed by branches, with variations depending on branch structure.

At present, there is no State Branch or media office in Victoria, although WBA does have contacts in that State. Only approved news releases may be considered to be genuine news releases from Whistleblowers Australia. The current office-bearers on the National Committee may be found on the following page: http://www.uow.edu.au/arts/sts/bmartin/dissent/contacts/au_wba/committee.html. (This link should open in a new page; if it does not, you may need to change your browser setting or right-click the link and select the menu option to do so.)

Membership

Membership of Whistleblowers Australia costs $25 per annum. Here is a link to the application form.
Membership includes a subscription to our newsletter, The Whistle.
Associate Membership is also available for $12 per annum to people on low incomes. (Excludes The Whistle.)

The activities of Whistleblowers Australia Inc. depend on voluntary work by members and supporters. We value the ideas, time, expertise and involvement of our members and supporters.
Whistleblowers Australia is funded entirely from membership fees, donations and bequests.

This site is maintained by the NSW Branch of Whistleblowers Australia.

Disclaimer: All material on this site expresses the opinion of the author/s of the material and is not to be regarded as full and complete. Published material does not represent the opinions or views of Whistleblowers Australia Inc. or individual members of WBA unless expressly stated. Whistleblowers Australia Inc. and its branches are not responsible for material on other sites.

Email: wba@whistleblowers.org.au (No Spam, please.)
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