Receiving a report of serious wrongdoing

Managers and supervisors

If you are both a manager/supervisor and a Disclosure Officer, please refer to your Disclosure Officer responsibilities only.

Responsibilities of managers and supervisors

Step 1: Receive report

As a managers or supervisor, you are responsible for receiving reports of serious wrongdoing verbally or in writing from:

• staff members you directly or indirectly supervise or manage, or
• any individual volunteers, contractors or subcontractors you are responsible for overseeing

Step 2: Identify a report as a public interest disclosure

If you think a report may be serious wrongdoing,  and appears to be a public interest disclosure, you must take action under Steps 3 and 6.

Step 3: Encourage the reporter to complete the PID Reporting Form

Unless it is not appropriate or possible to do so, you should encourage the reporter to complete the internal reporting form to ensure all relevant information has been captured.

Step 4: Notify a Disclosure Officer

You must notify a Disclosure Officer as soon as possible after receiving a report, either by supporting the reporter while they make the report to the Disclosure Officer or referring the reporter directly to the Disclosure Officer.

You should refer the report to the Disclosure Officer that either you or the reporter are most closely associated with. However, if this person is involved in the wrongdoing, you can report it to any other Disclosure Officer.

Step 5: Keep records

You should keep a record, such as a file note, of how you received the public interest disclosure, the information provided to you and how you communicated to the Disclosure Officer. This should be kept it in a secure location.

Step 6: Support reporter

You have a responsibility to help support the staff member who has made by the report, including by keeping the report and identity of the staff member confidential, except to report it to a Disclosure Officer.

Managers are not responsible for assessing or investigating public interest disclosures.

Disclosure Officers

There are three categories of Disclosure Officers:

• persons who are designated as such under the Public Interest Disclosures Policy 
• persons are the most senior ongoing employee at each University and controlled entity worksite
• persons who are University Council members, and/or Directors of controlled entities.

If you are a Disclosure Officer and have received a report of serious wrongdoing, there are list of actions you need to know.

Responsibilities of Disclosure Officers

Step 1: Receive report

Disclosure Officers are responsible for receiving reports of serious wrongdoing from public officials, either directly or through a manager or supervisor.

Public officials of other NSW public sector agencies may also make reports to you about those other agencies.

Step 2: Identify a report as a public interest disclosure

If you think a report may be about serious wrongdoing, and appears to be a public interest disclosure, you need to follow Steps 3 to 5.

Step 3: Notify the Disclosure Coordinator

Step 4: Keep records

You should keep a record, such as a file note, of how you received the public interest disclosure, the information provided to you and how you communicated to the Disclosure Officer. This should be kept it in a secure location.

Step 5: Support reporter

You have a responsibility to help support the staff member who has made by the report, including by keeping the report and identity of the staff member confidential, except to report it to a Disclosure Coordinator.

Disclosure Officers are not responsible for assessing or investigating public interest disclosures.

Receiving a report FAQs