Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

PUBLIC INTEREST DISCLOSURE ACT 2013

TABLE OF PROVISIONS

           Long Title

   PART 1--INTRODUCTION

           Division 1--Preliminary matters

   1.      Short title  
   2.      Commencement  
   3.      Crown to be bound  
   4.      Extension to external Territories  
   5.      Extension to things outside Australia  

           Division 2--Objects

   6.      Objects  

           Division 3--Overview

   7.      Simplified outline of this Act  
   7A.     Role of the Ombudsman under the Ombudsman Act 1976  
   7B.     Role of the IGIS under the Inspector - General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986  

           Division 4--Definitions

   8.      Definitions  

   PART 2--PROTECTION--OF DISCLOSERS AND WITNESSES

           Division 1--Protections

   9.      Simplified outline  

              Subdivision A--Immunity from liability

   10.     Protection of disclosers  
   11.     Liability for false or misleading statements etc. unaffected  
   11A.    Designated publication restrictions  
   12.     Discloser's liability for own conduct not affected  
   12A.    Witnesses--immunity from liability etc.  
   12B.    Witnesses--exceptions to immunities  

              Subdivision B--Protection from reprisals

   13.     What constitutes taking a reprisal  
   14.     Compensation  
   15.     Injunctions, apologies and other orders  
   16.     Reinstatement  
   17.     Multiple orders  
   18.     Costs only if proceedings instituted vexatiously etc.  
   19.     Reprisals in relation to disclosures--offences  
   19A.    Interaction between civil remedies and offences  

              Subdivision C--Protecting the identity of disclosers

   20.     Disclosure or use of identifying information  
   21.     Identifying information not to be disclosed etc. to courts or tribunals  

              Subdivision D--Interaction with the Fair Work Act 2009

   22.     Interaction with protections under Part 3 - 1 of the Fair Work Act 2009  
   22A.    Interaction with remedies under the Fair Work Act 2009  

              Subdivision E--Miscellaneous

   23.     Claims for protection  
   24.     Protections have effect despite other Commonwealth laws  

           Division 2--Public interest disclosures

   25.     Simplified outline  

              Subdivision A--Public interest disclosures

   26.     Meaning of public interest disclosure  
   27.     Associated allegations  
   28.     How a public interest disclosure may be made  

              Subdivision B--Disclosable conduct

   29.     Meaning of disclosable conduct  
   29A.    Meaning of personal work - related conduct  
   30.     Officers or employees of a contracted service provider  
   31.     Disagreements with government policies etc.  
   32.     Conduct connected with courts or Commonwealth tribunals  
   33.     Conduct connected with intelligence agencies  

              Subdivision C--Internal disclosures: authorised internal recipients

   34.     Meaning of authorised internal recipient  
   35.     When conduct relates to an agency  
   36.     Meaning of authorised officer  

              Subdivision D--Intelligence information

   41.     Meaning of intelligence information  

   PART 3--INVESTIGATIONS

           Division 1--Allocating the handling of disclosures

   42.     Simplified outline  
   43.     Allocation of disclosure--decision by authorised officer  
   44.     Allocation of disclosure--notice of decision to allocate  
   44A.    Allocation of disclosure--decision not to allocate  
   44B.    Non - allocation of disclosure subject to stop action direction under the NACC Act  
   45.     Reallocation of disclosures  
   45A.    Conduct related to intelligence agencies and agencies with intelligence functions--notice to the IGIS  

           Division 2--The obligation to investigate disclosures

   46.     Simplified outline  
   47.     Principal officer must investigate disclosures  
   48.     Discretion not to investigate  
   49.     Investigative agency using separate investigative powers  
   50.     Notification to discloser  
   50AA.   Decision not to investigate--referral for investigation under another law or power  
   50A.    Notification to Ombudsman or IGIS about investigation  
   51.     Report of investigation  
   52.     Time limit for investigations under this Division  
   53.     Conduct of investigations under this Division  
   54.     Adoption of findings of another investigation  

           Division 3--Miscellaneous

   55.     The Ombudsman and the IGIS--recommendations  
   56.     Disclosure to a member of an Australian police force  

   PART 4--ADMINISTRATIVE--MATTERS

           Division 1--Additional obligations and functions

   58.     Simplified outline  
   59.     Additional obligations of principal officers  
   60.     Additional obligations of authorised officers  
   60A.    Additional obligations of supervisors  
   61.     Additional obligations of public officials  
   62.     Additional functions of the Ombudsman  
   63.     Additional functions of the IGIS  

           Division 2--Treatment of information

   64.     Simplified outline of this Division  
   65.     Sharing information and documents between agencies  
   67.     Secrecy--legal practitioners  

           Division 3--Officials and agencies

   68.     Simplified outline  

              Subdivision A--Public officials

   69.     Public officials  
   70.     Individuals taken to be public officials  

              Subdivision B--Agencies and prescribed authorities

   71.     Meaning of agency  
   72.     Meaning of prescribed authority  

              Subdivision C--Principal officers

   73.     Meaning of principal officer  

              Subdivision D--Machinery of government changes

   73A.    Scope of Subdivision  
   73B.    Machinery of government changes--conduct relating to affected agency  
   73C.    Machinery of government changes--disclosures made before change  
   73D.    Machinery of government changes--information transfer  

   PART 5--MISCELLANEOUS

   74.     Ombudsman may determine standards  
   75.     Restriction on the application of secrecy provisions  
   76.     Annual reports by the Ombudsman  
   76A.    Six - monthly reports by the Ombudsman  
   77.     Delegations  
   78.     Liability for acts and omissions  
   79.     Concurrent operation of State and Territory laws  
   80.     Law relating to legal professional privilege not affected  
   82.     Other investigative powers etc. not affected  
   82A.    Review of operation of Act  
   83.     The PID rules