Who can report misconduct?
Anybody has a right to report suspected misconduct to us. Public sector officers have a special responsibility to do so under their codes of conduct.
Chief executive officers (including directors-general) of public sector agencies and other public officials are obliged by law to notify us of suspected misconduct, or alleged misconduct reported to their agencies. They are not required to conduct any preliminary inquiries, nor to have evidence of any particular standard — just a reasonable suspicion that the conduct has occurred.
CMC liaison officers, who represent their agencies in dealings with the CMC must notify us of any suspicion of misconduct or official misconduct, in accordance with s. 15 of the Crime and Misconduct Act. As above, they are not required to conduct any preliminary inquiries, nor to have evidence of any particular standard. Read more about CMC liaison officers.
Whistleblowers
Making a public interest disclosure, or providing information about wrongdoing in the public sector, is commonly known as ‘blowing the whistle’. In Queensland, public sector employees who disclose information as a result of genuine concern about the possible serious misbehaviour of public officials are protected by law from reprisals. By providing protection for those who speak out about wrongdoing, the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010 aims to ensure that government is open and accountable.
The CMC, Queensland Ombudsman and Public Service Commission collaborated to develop the following guides about public interest disclosures for the Queensland public sector.
If you are:
- a public sector employee, read
- Thinking about blowing the whistle? (PDF, 1 MB) Information for public sector whistleblowers on what to consider before reporting wrongdoing
- a public sector manager or supervisor, read
- Has one of your staff blown the whistle? (PDF, 1 MB) Information to support public sector managers and supervisors who handle public interest disclosures
- setting up a program to manage public interest disclosures, read
- Does your organisation effectively manage the reporting of wrongdoing? (PDF, 1 MB) Information to help public sector organisations put in place effective programs to manage public interest disclosures.
More information
- See the Queensland Ombudsman website
- Back to basics – What is a public interest disclosure and how do I manage PIDs?
Presentation resources from the lunchbox session held on 18 April 2013 on the topic of public interest disclosures. This session was presented in collaboration with the Queensland Ombudsman.
