STATEMENTS BY SENATORS

Senator DAVID POCOCK (Australian Capital Territory—Independent ACT Whip) (13:52): Aussie whistleblowers continue to wait for reform. They continue to be prosecuted and suffer under a broken system—a system we were promised would be overhauled. Before the 2022 election, this government promised to fix the Public Interest Disclosure Act.

In 2023, we got minor tweaks and an assurance that real reform would follow. An exposure draft landed last September, but, 11 months on, there is no bill. There is no whistleblower protection authority and still not a dollar for whistleblowers to get legal advice or wellbeing support.

The examples of how important whistleblowers are continue to mount. The current saga around KPMG largely follows disclosure from a brave whistleblower. These have been fundamental to uncovering misuse of confidential information and broad misconduct.

Jeannie-Marie Blake volunteered evidence to the robodebt royal commission. She alleges she was threatened, but the Commonwealth argues her evidence wasn't protected. That gap in protection is a huge problem.

Richard Boyle exposed unethical debt recovery at the tax office and was vindicated by inquiry after inquiry, yet he was subject to criminal prosecution by this government, and potential conviction. Tonight, Julia Delaforce will launch a book that details her experience of being sexually harassed at knifepoint on a Defence base in 2010 and then having an NDA silence her until last year.

This simply is not good enough. It's time for the government to act on three reforms—reform the PID Act, establish a whistleblower protection authority and bring in a broad wind-back of NDAs. This should all be done this year.

The current attorney-general needs to pick up the great work done by former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus and just get on with it.