The University of Tasmania is subject to the Public Interest Disclosures Act 2002 (the PID Act).
The purpose of the PID Act is to "encourage and facilitate the making of disclosures of improper conduct (or detrimental action) by public officers and public bodies and gives protection to people blowing the whistle about serious or significant improper conduct in the Tasmanian public sector.”
The Act applies to:
- Public officers – someone who works for the University.
- Contractors, employees of contractors and sub-contractors– someone who is paid for providing goods and services to the University of Tasmania.
- Members of the public can make disclosures if it is in the public interest. The Ombudsman or the Integrity Commission makes this assessment.
A disclosure can be made anonymously.
Anyone wishing to make a disclosure under the Act can contact the Vice-Chancellor or the University's Protected Disclosure Coordinator, Jane Beaumont, General Counsel, Executive Director Legal and Risk, on Legal.Office@utas.edu.au or to the Ombudsman toll free 1800 001 170.
For further information, please read the University of Tasmania's procedures and the Ombudsman's Guidelines. If you are a staff member and require advice on any aspect of the Act, please email Legal.Office@utas.edu.au
Public Interest Disclosures Act 2002 - Ombudsman's Guidelines Revised March 2019
Public Interest Disclosures Procedure (PDF 848.3 KB)
Information about what a disclosure can be about can be accessed at Receiving, assessing and investigating a disclosure.
Information for Contractors
Contractors who are engaged by the University can also make a public interest disclosure.
To be a valid disclosure, it needs to be made to the correct entity. Generally a disclosure about a University staff member can be made to the University but this is not always the case. Because the University cannot investigate itself, only its staff, if the disclosure is about a public body (from a contractor or member of the public), the discloser will be referred to the Ombudsman or the Integrity Commission.
Contractors can only make disclosures about a public body so they will always be referred to either of these offices.
For further guidance about making disclosures under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2002 (Tas) to the Integrity Commission access the Integrity Commission Resources.
Information for members of the Public
Members of the public can be treated as contractors under the Act if it is in the public interest. This may include, for example, volunteers who have evidence of serious or significant improper conduct. Only the Ombudsman or the Integrity Commission can make this assessment, and complaints made by the public will be referred to these offices.
