The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018 (PID Act) commenced on 1 July 2019, replacing the Whistleblowers Protection Act 1993 (WP Act).
The PID Act establishes a scheme that encourages and facilitates the appropriate disclosure of public interest information to certain persons or authorities.
It provides protections for some persons who make an appropriate disclosure of public interest information in accordance with the PID Act and sets out processes for dealing with such disclosures.
- Procedure - Public interest disclosure (PDF, 214.5 KB)
- Appendix to procedure - Public interest disclosure (PDF, 255.9 KB)
- Fact sheet for public sector employees (PDF, 167.3 KB)
- Fact sheet for the South Australian Community (PDF, 848.1 KB)
Making a disclosure concerning AGD
An appropriate disclosure of public administration information concerning AGD or an AGD employee can be made to the AGD responsible officer or to another relevant authority as defined by the Act.
There are a number of ways you can contact an AGD responsible officer to make an appropriate disclosure of public interest information, including:
Email: AGD_PID@sa.gov.au
Phone: (08) 8207 1555
Toll-free (from landlines only): 1800 177 076
Post: *Mark the envelope private and confidential
Public Interest Disclosure, Attorney-General's Department
GPO Box 464
Adelaide SA 5001
Before making a disclosure
A person making a disclosure should consider:
- whether the information they intend to reveal might be considered an appropriate disclosure of public interest information, as defined by the PID Act
- who is an appropriate authority for the purposes of disclosing the appropriate information
- whether they have obligations under the Public Interest Disclosure Guidelines issued by the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) and the Directions and Guidelines issued by the Office for Public Integrity.
Responsibilities
All public officers must comply with the PID Act.
A public officer must report to the Office for Public Integrity (OPI) any matter that is reasonably suspected to involve corruption in public administration, unless the public officer knows that the conduct has already been reported to the OPI.
It is not mandatory to report misconduct or maladministration in public administration, but the Ombudsman expects that public officers will report to Ombudsman SA any matter that the public officer or public authority reasonably suspects involves maladministration and/or misconduct in public administration. The conduct can also be reported to the OPI.
More information about public interest disclosure
For more information, please visit the Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment website.