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The Parliament of the
Commonwealth of Australia
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Presented and read a first time
Public Interest Disclosure Bill 2013
No. , 2013
(Public Service and Integrity)
A Bill for an Act to facilitate disclosure and investigation of wrongdoing and maladministration in the Commonwealth public sector, and for other purposes
Contents
Division 1—Preliminary matters 1
1............ Short title............................................................................................. 1
2............ Commencement................................................................................... 2
3............ Crown to be bound............................................................................. 2
4............ Extension to external Territories.......................................................... 2
5............ Extension to things outside Australia.................................................. 3
Division 2—Objects 4
6............ Objects................................................................................................ 4
Division 3—Overview 5
7............ Overview............................................................................................ 5
Division 4—Definitions 6
8............ Definitions.......................................................................................... 6
Part 2—Protection of disclosers 11
Division 1—Protections 11
9............ Simplified outline.............................................................................. 11
Subdivision A—Immunity from liability 11
10.......... Protection of disclosers..................................................................... 11
11.......... Liability for false or misleading statements etc. unaffected................ 12
12.......... Discloser’s liability for own conduct not affected............................. 12
Subdivision B—Protection from reprisals 12
13.......... What constitutes taking a reprisal...................................................... 12
14.......... Compensation................................................................................... 13
15.......... Injunctions, apologies and other orders............................................. 14
16.......... Reinstatement.................................................................................... 15
17.......... Multiple orders.................................................................................. 15
18.......... Interaction with remedies under the Fair Work Act 2009 .................. 15
19.......... Offences............................................................................................ 16
Subdivision C—Protecting the identity of disclosers 17
20.......... Use or disclosure of identifying information..................................... 17
21.......... Identifying information not to be disclosed etc. to courts or tribunals 18
Subdivision D—Miscellaneous 18
22.......... Interaction with protections under Part 3-1 of the Fair Work Act 2009 18
23.......... Claims for protection......................................................................... 19
24.......... Protections have effect despite other Commonwealth laws............... 20
Division 2—Public interest disclosures 21
25.......... Simplified outline.............................................................................. 21
Subdivision A—Public interest disclosures 21
26.......... Meaning of public interest disclosure ............................................... 21
27.......... Associated allegations....................................................................... 25
28.......... How a public interest disclosure may be made.................................. 25
Subdivision B—Disclosable conduct 26
29.......... Meaning of disclosable conduct ........................................................ 26
30.......... Officers or employees of a contracted service provider..................... 28
31.......... Disagreements with government policies etc..................................... 29
32.......... Conduct connected with courts or tribunals...................................... 29
33.......... Conduct connected with intelligence agencies................................... 30
Subdivision C—Internal disclosures: authorised internal recipients 31
34.......... Meaning of authorised internal recipient .......................................... 31
35.......... When conduct relates to an agency.................................................... 32
36.......... Meaning of authorised officer ........................................................... 33
Subdivision D—External disclosures: inadequate investigations and responses to investigations 33
37.......... When investigations under Part 3 are inadequate.............................. 33
38.......... When responses to investigations under Part 3 are inadequate.......... 34
39.......... When responses to other disclosure investigations are inadequate.... 34
Subdivision E—Miscellaneous 35
40.......... Meaning of designated publication restriction .................................. 35
41.......... Meaning of intelligence information ................................................. 35
Part 3—Investigations 38
Division 1—Allocating the handling of disclosures 38
42.......... Simplified outline.............................................................................. 38
43.......... Authorised officer to allocate the handling of the disclosure............. 38
44.......... Giving notice of the allocation decision............................................. 39
45.......... Subsequent allocations...................................................................... 40
Division 2—The obligation to investigate disclosures 41
46.......... Simplified outline.............................................................................. 41
47.......... Principal officer must investigate disclosures.................................... 41
48.......... Discretion not to investigate.............................................................. 42
49.......... Investigative agency using separate investigative powers................. 43
50.......... Notification to discloser.................................................................... 44
51.......... Report of investigation...................................................................... 44
52.......... Time limit for investigations under this Division.............................. 45
53.......... Conduct of investigations under this Division.................................. 46
54.......... Adoption of findings of another investigation................................... 47
55.......... Estimate of duration of investigation................................................. 48
Division 3—Miscellaneous 49
56.......... Disclosure to a member of an Australian police force....................... 49
57.......... Protection of witnesses etc................................................................ 49
Part 4—Administrative matters 51
Division 1—Additional obligations and functions 51
58.......... Simplified outline.............................................................................. 51
59.......... Additional obligations of principal officers....................................... 51
60.......... Additional obligations of authorised officers.................................... 52
61.......... Additional obligations of public officials.......................................... 52
62.......... Additional functions of the Ombudsman.......................................... 53
63.......... Additional functions of the IGIS....................................................... 53
Division 2—Treatment of information 55
64.......... Simplified outline.............................................................................. 55
65.......... Secrecy—general.............................................................................. 55
66.......... Source agencies for intelligence information..................................... 56
67.......... Secrecy—legal practitioners.............................................................. 57
Division 3—Officials and agencies 59
68.......... Simplified outline.............................................................................. 59
Subdivision A—Public officials 59
69.......... Public officials.................................................................................. 59
70.......... Individuals taken to be public officials.............................................. 63
Subdivision B—Agencies and prescribed authorities 64
71.......... Meaning of agency ............................................................................ 64
72.......... Meaning of prescribed authority ...................................................... 64
Subdivision C—Principal officers 66
73.......... Meaning of principal officer ............................................................. 66
Part 5—Miscellaneous 68
74.......... Ombudsman may determine standards.............................................. 68
75.......... Restriction on the application of secrecy provisions.......................... 68
76.......... Annual report.................................................................................... 69
77.......... Delegations....................................................................................... 70
78.......... Liability for acts and omissions......................................................... 71
79.......... Concurrent operation of State and Territory laws.............................. 72
80.......... Law relating to legal professional privilege not affected.................... 72
81.......... Law relating to parliamentary privilege not affected.......................... 72
82.......... Other investigative powers etc. not affected...................................... 72
83.......... The PID rules.................................................................................... 72
A Bill for an Act to facilitate disclosure and investigation of wrongdoing and maladministration in the Commonwealth public sector, and for other purposes
The Parliament of Australia enacts: