Managing Internal Witnesses in the Australian Public Sector:

1
Managing Internal Witnessesin the Australian
Public Sector Meeting the Challenge,Charting
the Way Forward Ian Wark Theatre, The Shine
Dome, CanberraTuesday 12 July 2005
2
Whistling While They Work Enhancing the Theory
Practice of Internal Witness Management in the
Australian Public Sector
New South WalesNSW ICACNSW OmbudsmanUniversity
of Sydney
Australian Government Commonwealth
OmbudsmanAustralian Public Service
CommissionCharles Sturt University
QueenslandCrime Misconduct CommissionQueenslan
d OmbudsmanOffice of Public Service,
MEGriffith UniversityUniversity of Queensland
Western AustraliaCorruption Crime
CommissionWA OmbudsmanWA Public Sector
Standards Comr Edith Cowan University
Victoria, ACT NT Ombudsman VictoriaNT Comr
for Public EmploymentACT Chief Ministers
DeptMonash University
Transparency International Australia
Australian Research Council
Socio-Legal Research CentreKey Centre for Ethics
Law Justice Governance
3
Whistleblowing Near Miceli (1985 4) the
disclosure by organisation members (former or
current) of illegal, immoral, or illegitimate
practices under the control of their employers,
to persons or organisations that may be able to
effect action. Internal witness Developed by
the NSW Police Service - a wider term
encompassing not just whistleblowing but a range
of roles through which employees assist integrity
efforts, including passive and uninvited ones,
e.g. non-complainant roles. Public interest
disclosure (most Australian legislation)Protected
disclosure (NSW) What about private grievances?
What about policy disagreements? Where does
public whistleblowing fit? -- See Typology
4
1. Legislation (legal risks obligations)
e.g. s.16 Public Service Act 1999
2. Central government commitment to /
coordination of legislative responsibilities
3. Internal disclosure procedures (IDPs)
(or internal reporting systems)
4. Agency IDPs in practice (as against theory)
5. Individual managers attitudes/practices
6. General staff awareness attitudes.
5
1. Legislative frameworks are getting used
2. Reported official figures for w/blower
reports / PIDs are only indicative tip of
iceberg
6
(No Transcript)
7
1. Legislative frameworks are getting used
2. Reported official figures for w/blower
reports / PIDs are only indicative tip of
iceberg
3. Actual likely internal witness caseload may
be something like 1.8 of workforce (approx.
30,000 federal and state public servants annually)
4. Considerable anecdotal and self-selected
evidence of the problems management challenges
5. Some empirical evidence of the attitudes and
experience of individual staff (inc. SOS)
6. Limited knowledge of actual agency practices
and procedures, including innovations.
8
(No Transcript)