The Australia Institute surveyed a “nationally representative sample” of 1,004 Australians about their views on whistleblowers and government secrecy for the research, which was developed in collaboration with the Human Rights Law Centre.

Overall, the survey found that the majority of Australians think that whistleblowing strengthens national security and our system of government – with over 50 per cent of respondents agreeing that the Australian government is too secretive about how it deals with allegations of corruption.

Senior researcher at the Australia Institute’s democracy and accountability program, Bill Browne, said that “whistleblowers show great courage and strength of character to expose government misconduct and wrongdoing”.

“The Morrison government is prosecuting whistleblowers and their lawyers for revealing uncomfortable truths about government overreach and the misuse of intelligence.

“Along with police raids on journalists and news organisations, the government’s prosecution of whistleblowers shows a callous disregard for accountable government and freedom of speech,” he said.

“The government has sat on recommendations to improve Australia’s whistleblower legislation for half a decade, in defiance of the vast majority of Australians want more legal protections for whistleblowers.”

Additionally, over 40 per cent of respondents said that too many whistleblowers are being prosecuted – and approximately half said that Bernard Collaery should not be jailed after he disclosed details about the bugging of Timor-Leste government buildings in 2004.

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Mr Collaery’s co-charged and client, former spy Witness K, was given a three-month suspended sentence and was ultimately spared jail time. In March 2020, Mr Collaery delved into the laws that allowed him to be prosecuted and the wider implications of this on an episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show.

Senior lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre Kieran Pender said that “from war crimes in Afghanistan to misogyny in Parliament House, there are many things we would not know without the courageous actions of those who spoke up”.

“But Australia’s whistleblowers are suffering. They are losing their jobs, being mistreated and, in some cases, even face jail for doing the right thing. What don’t we know because too many Australians are afraid of the consequences of speaking up?

“It is unconscionable that the government has neglected whistleblowing reform since an independent review in 2016. Whistleblowers deserved to be protected, not punished – and our laws should reflect that,” he said.

“This government should commit to reforming the Public Interest Disclosure Act – as it has promised – before the next election.”