Labor urged to hasten work on whistleblower reforms
Ben McKay |
A cross-party group including several Labor MPs is calling on Anthony Albanese’s government to grasp the nettle on tricky whistleblower reforms.
Dozens of whistleblowers, their advocates and regulators gathered in Sydney on Monday to discuss – and lament – the state of public interest disclosure laws in Australia.
The government is consulting on tax and corporate whistleblowing rules after a spate of high-profile incidents, including KPMG’s privacy breaches to win audit contracts.
Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino has flagged the possibility of an incentive scheme for whistleblowers who expose tax avoidance, as championed by the Human Rights Law Centre.
However, whistleblowers reform has seemingly fallen down the government’s pecking order and the consultation will not consider an overarching protection authority.
Dr Mulino saluted the “courage” of whistleblowers and stressed the importance of reform but said writing up other laws was taking priority.
“We are facing drafting constraints, which is a reflection of a full agenda,” he said.
Wentworth MP Allegra Spender, who has championed whistleblowers during her time in parliament, said reform couldn’t wait.
“I’ve heard too much from the government ‘oh we don’t have enough drafters’ … I mean honestly,” she said.
Coalition senator Paul Scarr, appearing at the symposium alongside Ms Spender, interjected to say,” I’ll sign up, I’ll do it as a night job”.
The Queensland senator is one of several parliamentarians – including Deborah O’Neill and other Labor politicians – to write to the prime minister requesting “urgent enhancement of whistleblower protections” following the KPMG scandal.
The letter, dated 9 July but only published on Sunday, wants an independent whistleblower protection authority, and a reward system.
Dr Mulino said he was well-disposed to the incentive scheme which was under consideration.
Senator Scarr also offered a backhander to his own side for failing to legislate a National Anti-Corruption Commission despite an election promise to do so.
“I thought it was just appalling that the NACC wasn’t progressed under previous coalition governments,” he said.
A whistleblower protection authority was the subject of a crossbench-initiated bill in 2025, but was opposed by both major parties.
Ms Spender also lamented a comment from the anonymous KPMG whistleblower, who said they would not go public with the explosive allegations if they had their time again owing to the personal toll.
The symposium, organised by Transparency International Australia, brought together dozens of whistleblowers and those involved in supporting their public disclosures.
Australia’s most notorious whistleblower, defence lawyer David McBride, remains in a Canberra jail for his role in leaking documents to the ABC.
Another prosecuted whistleblower, Richard Boyle, attended, sharing his experiences of a legal battle with the Australian Taxation Office.
Mr Boyle was legally pursued by the federal government for years after calling out heavy-handed tactics by the agency, but cut a deal in 2025 to avoid jail or convictions.
The symposium heard of one radical step-change to how whistleblowers have previously been treated in Australia.
Through the state ombudsman, NSW has begun two trials, of free mental health support and of legal assistance, to would-be public sector whistleblowers.
Senior deputy ombudsman Chris Clayton said the agency wanted “as much support as is reasonably possible to help public officials to speak up” in what can be “an extremely stressful situation”.
AAP