A strong ‘speak up’ culture that encourages public officials to report serious wrongdoing is important for ensuring the integrity of the public sector.
An integral part of that culture is having in place a framework that facilitates public interest reporting of wrongdoing, and in NSW that is based on the Public Interest Disclosures Act 2022 (PID Act).
A public interest disclosure (PID) is a report of serious wrongdoing by a public official which has been assessed and accepted as meeting the requirements of the PID Act.
Public officials should report suspected serious wrongdoing, or any activities or incidents that they see or know of within government agencies that they believe to be serious wrongdoing (including fraud).
Agencies such as GWIC must report data about the PIDs they have received to the NSW Ombudsman annually.
The purpose of the Public Interest Disclosure Policy is to provide clear instructions for employees of the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission on:
- How to make a PID report on wrongdoing;
- Who to submit your report to;
- When you will receive feedback on your report; and
- How you will be protected against detrimental action.
KPMG FairCall Service
GWIC is party to a contractual agreement with KPMG Forensic for the period 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2027 for the purposes of performing Agency functions under section 81 of the PID Act. This service is referenced as the ‘KPMG FairCall’ service.
The service is set up so that KPMG can receive PID disclosures under section 81(3)(a) of the PID Act. The service can also include giving the discloser privacy protection advice and notifying them of the options available for directing their disclosure.
KPMG may also perform additional services under section 81(3)(b). These services are investigative functions and can be exercised at the discretion and direction of the Agency.
In line with information provided in our PID Policy, Agency employees can make an internal report through the ‘KPMG FairCall’ service, including anonymous reports, while maintaining the protections otherwise available under the PID Act.