Finally independent senators not voting with the Marxists supporting renewables or LGBTQ nonsense, they are actually earning their keep
A major step has been taken to reform the laws meant to protect whistleblowers in Australia.
Andrew Wilkie MP, Dr Helen Haines MP, Senator David Pocock, and Senator Jacqui Lambie last week came together to call on Parliament to support their landmark bill to establish Australia’s first Whistleblower Protection Authority.
A Whistleblower Protection Authority would strengthen Australia’s whistleblower protection laws and better protect those who speak out against corruption and wrongdoing.
Late last week, WJF supporters chipped in to help publish an open letter in today’s editions of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. With your support, we were able to coordinate with the four Parliamentarians spearheading this reform to print a message calling on Parliament to support the bill – and support whistleblowers. Dr Helen Haines even displayed our ad at the Parliament press conference this morning.
With military whistleblower David McBride sitting in a prison cell, and tax office whistleblower Richard Boyle standing trial, we need to change the law – and fast.
Reforming Australia’s laws is the only way we can protect future whistleblowers from being silenced, financial ruin, and prison.
At the heart of this law reform is the idea of a Whistleblower Protection Authority (WPA). A WPA would be an independent statutory body to oversee and enforce whistleblower protections and also support people who are brave enough to speak out against wrongdoing.
First proposed in parliament in 1994, a WPA is not a new idea and it’s gaining momentum. Just this month, a government-chaired parliamentary committee into the PwC scandal recommended a WPA to better protect corporate whistleblowers.
Now, Senators David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie, and MPs Helen Haines and Andrew Wilkie, have begun the process to introduce a bill to establish a Whistleblower Protection Authority.
The Albanese Government has delayed reform for too long and we can’t wait on them any longer. Together, we’ll be working to demonstrate to Parliament just how deep public support for whistleblower protection reform is – all the way to the election.
Thank you for your ongoing support.