The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2012 came into effect on 1 February 2013. This Act replaces the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1994. The object of the Act is to promote the public interest by:
- providing a way for people to make public interest disclosures;
- ensuring people who make public interest disclosures are protected and treated respectfully;
- ensuring public interest disclosures are properly investigated and managed; and
- ensuring that appropriate consideration is given to the interests of people who make public interest disclosures and the people who are the subject of the disclosures.
As required by the Act, the Director-General has declared two Designated Disclosure Officers in the Directorate – the Director, Corporate Management and the Director, Investment Branch. The role of the Designated Disclosure Officer is to receive and make an initial assessment of a disclosure, and to act as a central coordination point for all matters relating to the disclosure, as well as communicating the progress and decisions on the disclosure with the discloser.
Following the release in May 2013 of the Commissioner for Public Administration's Public Interest Disclosure Guidelines 2013, procedures on dealing with disclosures (as required by the Commissioner's Guidelines) are being developed and will be available on the Directorate's website and intranet site.
The Directorate received one public interest disclosure during 2012-13.
Further information can be obtained from:
Sue Hall
Director
Corporate Management
+61 2 6207 0569