Whistleblowers Protection Act roles and responsibilities
Staff Member
Staff are encouraged to report known or suspected incidences of
improper conduct or detrimental action in accordance with these procedures.
All staff of the University have an important role to play in supporting
those who have made a legitimate disclosure. They must refrain from any
activity that is, or could be perceived to be victimisation or harassment
of a person who makes a disclosure. Furthermore, they should protect
and maintain the confidentiality of a person they know or suspect to
have made a disclosure.
Protected disclosure officers
Protected disclosure officers will:
Be a contact point for general advice about the operation of the Act
for any person wishing to make a disclosure about improper conduct or
detrimental action.
- Make arrangements for a disclosure to be made privately and discreetly
and, if necessary, away from the workplace.
- Receive any disclosure made
orally or in writing (from internal and external whistleblowers).
- Commit
to writing any disclosure made orally.
- Impartially assess the allegation
and determine whether it is a disclosure made in accordance with
Part 2 of the Act (that is, a protected disclosure
).
- Take all necessary steps to ensure the identity of the whistleblower
and the identity of the person who is the subject of the disclosure
are kept confidential.
- Forward all disclosures and supporting evidence
to the protected disclosure coordinator.
Protected disclosure coordinator
The protected disclosure coordinator has a central clearinghouse role
in the internal
reporting system. He or she will:
- Receive all disclosures forwarded from the protected disclosure officers.
- Receive
all phone calls, emails and letters from members of the public or
staff seeking to make a disclosure.
- Impartially assess each disclosure
to determine whether it is a public interest disclosure.
- Refer all
public interest disclosures to the Ombudsman.
- Be responsible for carrying
out, or appointing an investigator to carry out, an investigation
referred to the public body by the Ombudsman
- Be
responsible for overseeing and coordinating an investigation where
an investigator has been appointed
- Appoint a welfare manager to support
the whistleblower and to protect him or her from any reprisals
- Advise
the whistleblower of the progress of an investigation into the disclosed
matter
- Establish and manage a confidential filing system
- Collate and publish
statistics on disclosures made
- Take all necessary
steps to ensure the identity of the whistleblower and the identity
of the person who is the subject of the disclosure
are kept confidential
- Liaise with the Vice-Chancellor.
Investigator
The investigator will be responsible for carrying out an internal investigation
into a disclosure where the Ombudsman has referred a matter to the public
body. An investigator may be a person from within an organisation or
a consultant engaged for that purpose.
Welfare manager
The welfare manager is responsible for looking after the general welfare
of the whistleblower. The welfare manager will:
- Examine the immediate welfare and protection needs of a whistleblower
who has made a disclosure and seek to foster a supportive work environment.
- Advise
the whistleblower of the legislative and administrative protections
available to him or her.
- Listen and respond to any concerns of harassment,
intimidation or victimisation in reprisal for making disclosure.
- Ensure
the expectations of the whistleblower are realistic.
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