A public interest disclosure is a disclosure of information about certain types of wrongdoing or danger as defined in sections 12 and 13 of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010.
After you make a disclosure, we must act on the information or find a solution. It's an offence for someone to retaliate against you for making a public disclosure.
We encourage anyone to come forward if you believe you've seen our staff doing the wrong thing. We want members of the public and staff to feel confident and comfortable making a disclosure.
Our Public Interest Disclosure procedure explains what we do when someone makes a public interest disclosure.
Who can make a disclosure
Anyone (including members of the public) can make a disclosure about:
- a substantial and specific danger to the health or safety of a person with a disability
- a substantial and specific danger to the environment, if it was caused by any of the offences in Schedule 2 of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010
- the conduct of another person that could, if proven, be a reprisal (retaliation) for making a disclosure.
If you're a member of staff, you can also make a disclosure about:
- suspected corrupt conduct as defined in Queensland's Crime and Corruption Act 2001
- administrative actions that are unfair, discriminatory, or unjust (maladministration)
- a substantial misuse of public resources
- a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety
- a substantial and specific danger to the environment.
We believe that any staff member who speaks out about wrongdoing is doing the right thing. All government workers must disclose fraud and corruption. You can learn more about these obligations in the Queensland Public Service Code of Conduct and the Public Sector Ethics Act 1994.
How to make a disclosure
You can make a disclosure directly to our:
- Ethics and Integrity Unit
- Email: SCHHS-PID@health.qld.gov.au and / or SCHHS-CCC@health.qld.gov.au
- Phone: 07 5202 0091 or 0448 624 024
- Chief Executive Officer
You can also make a disclosure to:
- the Crime and Corruption Commission, if the conduct is about corruption
- the Queensland Ombudsman if the conduct is about mismanagement
- any Member of the Queensland Parliament.
Where to go for support
The Queensland Ombudsman has advice for anyone making a public interest disclosure.