Submission: Inquiry into Whistleblower Protection Authority Bill 2025 (No. 2).
Transparency International Australia (TI Australia) is pleased to provide the following submission to the inquiry into Whistleblower Protection Authority Bill 2025 (No. 2).
TI Australia has supported the establishment of a WPA for many years. As part of our work, we convene a national whistleblower advisory group, bringing together those with lived experience of the failed system. We work in close partnership with Griffith University and the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) to develop policy and advocacy initiatives aimed at improving whistleblower protections in Australia.
Our submission draws on:
- A Fair Go for Speaking Up: Design Principles for Australia's Federal Whistleblower Protection Authority (TI Australia, Griffith University and Human Rights Law Centre, 2025)
- Australia's National Integrity System: The Blueprint for Action (TI Australia and Griffith University, 2020)
- Protecting Australia's Whistleblowers: A Federal Roadmap (TI Australia, Griffith University and Human Rights Law Centre, 2022)
- Extensive consultation with our national whistleblower advisory group, private sector representatives and regulators.
- International best practice models from other jurisdictions
We commend the co-sponsors for introducing the Whistleblower Protection Authority Bill. We regard this Bill as a crucial opportunity to finally deliver the kind of independent, effective WPA that is urgently needed to support public interest whistleblowing in Australia.