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Whistleblower Project

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is undertaking a project to examine the adequacy of arrangements currently in place in South Australia to encourage, support and protect those who provide information about suspected wrongdoing, sometimes referred to as ‘whistleblowers’.

Discussion Paper and submissions

In September 2025, ICAC released the Whistleblower Project Discussion Paper (547 KB), calling for public submissions about the adequacy of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018 (SA). ICAC received 40 written submissions from individuals and organisations.

Permission has been given to publish the below submissions. South Australian-based submissions raising specific conduct will not be published.

(external site) (PDF) (external site) (PDF)

Public forum

As part of this project, ICAC hosted a public forum in Adelaide on Wednesday 29 April 2026.

Expert panellists discussed issues identified throughout ICAC’s research, with a focus on the effectiveness of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018 (SA) and any further measures that should be implemented to strengthen this vital protective framework. The panel discussion was facilitated by Julie-Anne Burgess, Chief Executive of the South Australian Housing Trust.

  • Dr Gabrielle Appleby, Professor at the Faculty of Law and Justice at University of New South Wales, Head of Research at the Centre for Public Integrity
  • Vanessa Burrows, Director of the Office for Public Integrity SA
  • Anneliese Cooper, Lawyer with Human Rights Law Centre’s Whistleblower Project
  • Rory McClaren, Presenter, 891 ABC Adelaide
  • Tom Millett, Deputy Ombudsman (NSW) responsible for Public Interest Disclosures and Complaints Handling Systems Oversight
  • Frank O’Toole, former whistleblower, member of Transparency International Australia’s National Whistleblowing Advisory Group.

Evaluations of South Australia Police and the Department of Human Services

To complement the generous amount of stakeholder feedback received, ICAC is evaluating the practices, policies and procedures of two public authorities, South Australia Police (SAPOL) and the Department of Human Services (DHS).

Read the public statement. (external site)

The evaluations focus on how each agency receives, manages, and investigates complaints concerning corruption, misconduct, or maladministration – a vital step in assessing the extent to which whistleblower protections are effective in practice, not just on paper.

SAPOL and DHS were not selected due to any identified deficiencies in their existing arrangements. Rather, the agencies were chosen to provide practical case studies that can assist ICAC in developing recommendations applicable across the South Australian public sector.

Terms of reference

The evaluations will examine whether each agency’s practices, policies and procedures:

  1. adequately and appropriately protect the identity of individuals who provide information about suspected corruption, misconduct or maladministration in public administration;
  2. adequately and appropriately protect those individuals from reprisals or other adverse action being taken because they have made a disclosure; and
  3. foster an environment in which the employees and officers of each agency feel encouraged and supported to report corruption, misconduct or maladministration.

The evaluations will also consider related issues, including how agencies balance the protection of whistleblowers with the need to take appropriate disciplinary action where required.

As with the public contributions received in response to the discussion paper, evaluations’ findings will be compiled into a final Whistleblower Project Report, to be presented to the South Australian Parliament in 2026.

The report and its recommendations will also made available to the public on this website.

Evaluation FAQs

A primary objective of the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 2012 (ICAC Act) is to prevent or minimise corruption in South Australian public administration. An evaluation of an agency’s practices, policies and procedures is an effective way of assisting the agency to minimise its risks of corruption.

The purpose of an evaluation is to improve an agency’s systems to assist it in guarding against corruption. It involves ICAC evaluating an agency’s practices, policies and procedures to ensure they are effective, and making recommendations for change where appropriate.

ICAC’s Whistleblower Project is an initiative designed to consider the adequacy of protections available for whistleblowers in the South Australian public sector, including those provided by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018 (SA) (PID Act).

Part of this project involves conducting two evaluations of public authorities. SAPOL and DHS have been identified as the agencies to be evaluated. The purpose of these evaluations is to enable ICAC to understand how whistleblower protections (including in the PID Act) work in practice. This will help inform any recommendations ICAC makes for reform.

ICAC has not selected these agencies because of any identified weakness in existing arrangements or practices. It is hoped that the project and evaluation will result in recommendations that assist SAPOL and the public sector generally.

An evaluation is not an investigation or a ‘corruption probe’. An evaluation does not examine the specific conduct of any person.

Where an evaluation identifies conduct that may require investigation, that conduct will be dealt with separately and in accordance with the applicable legislation.

The evaluation will be complete by mid-2026, in line with the broader Whistleblower Project. The intention is always to complete an evaluation in as timely a manner as possible.

An evaluation involves ICAC gaining an understanding of an agency’s practices, policies and procedures, including by collecting documents and talking to staff. Submissions may also be invited from relevant parties.

Evaluations are often conducted by way of a public inquiry. In some cases, submissions may be invited from members of the public and information collected during the evaluation may be published.

Information gathered in the course of an evaluation can only be made public by ICAC. Section 54 of the ICAC Act prevents any other person from disclosing information that they have received knowing that it is connected to an evaluation unless the disclosure is authorised by the ICAC Act or ICAC.

Contact us

You can reach the Whistleblower Project team via email: WhistleblowerProject@icac.sa.gov.au.