Public interest disclosures

We encourage any person who considers that they have witnessed wrongdoing to raise a complaint, or make a public interest disclosure as specified in the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010 (the PID Act).

What is a public interest disclosure (PID)?

Public interest disclosures must be an appropriate disclosure of information made to a proper authority in accordance with the PID Act.

Any person (including members of the public) can disclose information about:

• substantial and specific danger to the health or safety of a person with a disability
• substantial and specific danger to the environment (as set out in the PID Act)
• reprisal action following a public interest disclosure.

Public sector employees can also make disclosures about:

• corrupt conduct as defined in the Crime and Corruption Act 2001
• maladministration that adversely affects a person's interests in a substantial and specific way
• a substantial misuse of public resources
• a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety
• a substantial and specific danger to the environment.

Additional information on disclosures covered by the PID Act is also available from the Queensland Ombudsman.

How to make a disclosure

You can make a disclosure to:

• our PID Coordinator (Executive Director, Human Resources) by
  • emailing ethics@resources.qld.gov.au
  • writing to: PID Coordinator, Executive Director, Human Resources, PO Box 15216, CITY EAST QLD 4002
  • phoning 0477 344 750
  • in person at 1 William Street, Brisbane - please phone 0477 344 750 for an appointment
• our Director-General, the Minister, the Manager Workplace Relations or to any employee of the department who has the function of receiving this type of information
• your manager or supervisor (if you are an employee of the department).

Our PID protocol (PDF) outlines how to make a disclosure to the department.

Disclosures can also be made externally to:

• Crime and Corruption Commission Queensland if the disclosure concerns corrupt conduct
• Queensland Ombudsman if it concerns maladministration in public sector entities
• a member of the Legislative Assembly (MP)
• a Chief Judicial Officer of the relevant court or tribunal (if the disclosure relates to a judicial officer).

What to include in your disclosure

Public interest disclosures can be made anonymously. It is also helpful if you can provide information on:

• the name and job title of the person who is the subject of the disclosure, if applicable
• relevant events, dates and places
• the names of people who may be able to provide additional information
• your contact details or, if you want to remain anonymous, an alias and contact point if possible (for communication about the disclosure assessment and outcome)
• whether you are concerned about possible reprisal as a result of you making a disclosure.

What happens after you make a disclosure

We will assess your complaint to see whether it meets the requirements for a public interest disclosure and if it also needs to be referred to other proper authorities (i.e. the Crime and Corruption Commission). We will also carry out a risk assessment of reprisal action as a matter of priority. If you have provided contact details, an appropriate departmental officer will contact you to discuss all of this, and the proposed steps to be taken. We will keep you updated throughout the process and notify you of the outcome of any investigation as soon as practicable.

Further action

You can ask for an internal review of our decision if we decided not to investigate or deal with your complaint or you aren’t satisfied with how we handled your complaint.

To request a review, write to the Executive Director, Human Resources, PO Box 15216, CITY EAST QLD 4002.

If you are still not satisfied after this internal review, you can contact the Queensland Ombudsman to request an external review.

Further information

• Public interest disclosure protocol (PDF)
• Queensland Ombudsman - public interest disclosures