Public Interest Disclosure Procedures

What is a Public Interest Disclosure?

A Public Interest Disclosure (PID) is a disclosure made by a natural person of:

• Information that shows or tends to show; or
• Information that the person reasonably believes shows or tends to show:
  • A person, public officer or public body has engaged, is engaging or proposes to engage in Improper Conduct; or
  • A public officer or public body has taken, is taking or proposed to take Detrimental Action against a person.

Who can make a PID?

Anyone (both members of the public and employees of Council) can make a PID about improper conduct or detrimental action relating to Council or a Council officer.

A PID may:

• only be made by a natural person
• be made anonymously;
• be made even where the discloser is unable to identify precisely the individual or the organisation to which the disclosure relates; and
• also be a complaint, notification or disclosure (however described) made under another law.

A complaint or allegation that is already in the public domain will not normally be a PID. Such material would, for example, include matters which have already been subject to media or other public commentary.

Council cannot receive PIDs about Councillors. PIDs about Councillors must be made to IBAC or the Ombudsman.

A PID may be made orally or in writing (in private) to Council’s Public Interest Disclosure Coordinator. A PID may be made anonymously. A PID made by email from an address from which the identity of the discloser cannot be ascertained will be treated as an anonymous disclosure. PIDs cannot be made by fax.

PIDs made to Council must be made to Council’s Public Interest Disclosure Officer or CEO:

Information about how to make a PID to IBAC, the Victorian Ombudsman or the Victorian Inspectorate can be found on their websites:

What happens once a Public Interest Disclosure is received by Council?

Once a disclosure is received by Council, Council will assess whether the disclosure has been made in accordance with the Act and whether it is a Public Interest Disclosure. If it is a Public Interest Disclosure the matter will be referred to IBAC. IBAC will then make its own determination as to whether the matter is a Public Interest Disclosure. 

For further information, please refer to Council's Public Interest Disclosure Procedures or call Council's Public Interest Disclosure Coordinator.