Whistleblowers and their legal advisers should never face negative consequences for seeking or providing legal advice, it said. 

Graham Droppert SC, immediate past president of the ALA, expanded: “Whistleblowers and their lawyers should never have to contend with the possibility of being prosecuted and imprisoned — or face any other negative consequences — for seeking or providing legal advice relating to public interest disclosures.”

Mr Droppert SC gave evidence to the Senate legal and constitutional affairs legislation committee at the hearing for the inquiry into review on Monday (27 February).

“We are pleased to see that this bill expressly provides for whistleblowers to obtain legal advice so that there will never be reprisals for seeking or providing legal advice,” said Mr Droppert SC.

“It is essential that whistleblowers know who they can consult to obtain legal advice and where to turn for support,” he commented.

“Many whistleblowers in the past have risked their health and their careers in acting as guardians of good governance and exposers of corruption and abuse.  

“We all owe them an incalculable debt, but they should not be exposed to such risks and dangers in the future.”

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The ALA strongly believes that the protection of whistleblowers is essential for promoting integrity, accountability, and trust in both public and non-public institutions, it said in a statement.

“We need comprehensive and powerful whistleblower protections to encourage and protect those who know what is going on to call out abuse, corruption, and illegal conduct. It will make for a better and safer society,” Mr Droppert SC stated.

“A number of recent royal commissions have revealed systemic abuse in aged care and the disability sector and a complete failure to ensure integrity in the ‘robodebt’ pursuit of innocent Australians.  

“If whistleblowers felt safe to come forward with concerns, we may have been to avoid some of these alarmingly incidents of misconduct and abuse.”