The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018 facilitates the disclosure of ‘public interest information’ to certain persons or authorities.
There are two types of public interest information:
- environmental and health information — which relates to a substantial risk to the environment or to public health and safety
- public administration information — which relates to potential corruption, misconduct or maladministration in public administration.
Any person can make a disclosure of environmental and health information, but only public officers can make a disclosure of public administration information.
Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018
In 2018 the South Australian Government passed the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018 (PID Act) as part of a package of new legislation and amendments arising from recommendations by the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (Commissioner) after his review of the existing legislative framework in 2014.
The PID Act came into effect on 1 July 2019 and replaces the framework for the protection of appropriate disclosures about public interest information currently set out in the Whistleblowers Protection Act 1992 (Whistleblowers Act).
Section 12(1) of the PID Act requires principal officers to designate one or more officers or employees of the agency as responsible officers for the purposes of the Act. Principal officers must comply with this duty within three months after the commencement of the PID Act.
Adelaide Hills Council Responsible Officers
Should you wish to make a disclosure for the purposes of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018, Council has nominated the following responsible officers.
- Director of Corporate Services
- Executive Manager Governance and Performance
- Governance and Risk Coordinator
Disclosures can be made to Responsible Officers in any of the following ways:
Phone 08 8408 0400
Email publicinterestdisclosure@ahc.sa.gov.au
By post
Confidential
Responsible Officer, Public Interest Disclosure
63 Mount Barker Road, Stirling SA 5152
Making a disclosure
Council provides the below Public Interest Disclosure Policy and Public Interest Disclosure Procedure.
The Independent Commissioner Against Corruption's Public Interest Disclosure Guidelines are not a manual of instruction for the administration of the PID Act. Nor are they a substitute for reading the PID Act. The PID Act and these guidelines must be read together.