The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (PID Act) is the scheme for reporting allegations of serious wrongdoing in the Commonwealth public sector.
The PID Act:
- encourages the disclosure of information about suspected wrongdoing in the Commonwealth public sector
- provides protection to public officials who report allegations of wrongdoing under the PID Act, and
- requires agencies to take appropriate action in response to reports of wrongdoing.
Read the NIAA Public Interest Disclosure Procedures about how the NIAA manages public interest disclosures.
Definition of a public interest disclosure (PID)
A public interest disclosure (PID) is the disclosure by a public official of suspected wrongdoing in the Commonwealth public sector.
Types of wrongdoing which can be reported
Wrongdoing which can be disclosed under the PID Act includes, but is not limited to:
- suspected illegal conduct
- corruption
- maladministration, including conduct which is unjust, oppressive or negligent
- abuse of public trust
- scientific research deception
- wasting public money
- unreasonable danger to health or safety
- danger to the environment
- abuse of position
- conduct which may be grounds for disciplinary action.
Wrongdoing does not include disagreement with Australian Government policy or expenditure.
Who can make a public interest disclosure (PID)
Public interest disclosures can be made by any current or former public official, including:
- Commonwealth public servants (ongoing, non-ongoing and casual)
- temporary Commonwealth employees engaged through a recruitment agency
- staff of Commonwealth companies, authorities or statutory agencies
- Parliamentary service employees
- statutory officeholders
- service providers under contract to the Commonwealth and anyone employed by them.
How to make a public interest disclosure
You can make a disclosure to your supervisor or manager in a Commonwealth agency or an authorised officer in:
- your current agency or department
- the agency or department to which you last belonged, or
- the agency or department to which the disclosure relates.
You can also make your disclosure to the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
Anonymous disclosures
A PID can be made openly, anonymously or using a pseudonym.
If you make an anonymous disclosure, you should be aware that:
- we would not be able to contact you to seek any necessary information to help us determine how to proceed
- it may be difficult to protect you from reprisal
- we would not be able to update you on the progress of the matter.
Contact details
To make a disclosure or submit an enquiry about making a PID to NIAA please contact a NIAA authorised officer by any of the following methods:
Email: pid@niaa.gov.au
Post: Public Interest Disclosure
National Indigenous Australians Agency
PO Box 2191
Canberra ACT 2601
If you are concerned about making a PID to the NIAA, you can discuss your options by contacting the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
Further information
For further information, see Information for disclosers.
In addition to the requirements of the PID Act regarding the handling of information, the NIAA Privacy Policy outlines how the NIAA will handle any personal information that you provide to us.