Whistleblower Reporting

Whistleblower reporting and incident reporting are frequently handled through the same channel, and they are not the same thing.

An incident report records something that happened. A protected disclosure concerns misconduct or an improper state of affairs, and it attracts legal protections including confidentiality of the discloser’s identity and protection from detriment.

Those protections generally depend on the disclosure being made to an eligible recipient through an appropriate channel. Routing it through a general incident inbox, where several people can see the reporter’s name, can undermine the confidentiality the protection depends on.

Two practical points. Your policy should name who can receive a disclosure. And staff need to know that the two channels exist and are different, because most will default to whichever one they have used before.

The Fair Work Ombudsman covers workplace rights. This is general information rather than legal advice, and obligations vary by state and territory.

See Sentrient’s whistleblower course and workplace policy templates.