Australia | NSW Ombudsman’s Public Interest Disclosures Act 1994 Annual Report 2022-23 tabled in Parliament

The NSW Ombudsman’s Oversight of the Public Interest Disclosures Act 1994 Annual Report 2022-23 has been tabled in Parliament on 27 November 2023.

The annual report outlines the activities undertaken by the Ombudsman’s office, including provision of advice and training, and monitoring and auditing activities, under the PID Act 1994.

Under the PID Act 1994, all NSW public authorities must report on a six-monthly basis to the Ombudsman on the number of PIDs they have received.

The annual report for 2022-23 shows:

• an increase in the number of PIDs made to public authorities
• more public officials made PIDs than in 2021-22
• 64% of PIDs were received by NSW government agencies, 11% by local councils and 11% by local health districts
• the number of PIDs received by investigating authorities increased by 37%. Of the investigating authorities, the ICAC continues to receive the highest number of PIDs.

On 1 October 2023, the PID Act 1994 was repealed, and the Public Interest Disclosures Act 2022 (PID Act 2022) commenced. The PID Act 2022 is designed to:

• make it easier for public officials to speak up and report serious wrongdoing
• ensure that those who make a PID are protected from detrimental action, and
• require agencies which receive PIDs to take appropriate action to investigate or otherwise deal with PIDs

To support the implementation of the PID Act 2022, the NSW Ombudsman has developed guidelines, training materials and resources to promote awareness and understanding of that Act. This report outlines the activities the Ombudsman’s office has undertaken to support the implementation of the PID Act 2022 in the reporting period.

Kindly find the full report in the download section below.

Source: Ombudsman New South Wales, Australia