What constitutes an allegation of serious wrongdoing or misconduct?

An allegation of serious wrongdoing or misconduct is a claim made by one party about something wrong, improper, or illegal that has or has not been done by another party. This may include any conduct of members of your organisation, or DCJ staff that involves serious or persistent harassment, bullying, fraud, corruption, or unmanaged conflict of interest.

Refer to Public Interest Disclosure Act 2022 (PID Act) for further information on what is meant by serious wrongdoing.

When an allegation is made by members of your own organisation, this is referred to as whistleblowing.

A whistleblower is a person who provides information and exposes corrupt conduct within an organisation in the hope of stopping it.

Whistleblowing plays a crucial role in managing risk and cultivating an ethical culture and is an effective way of uncovering potential fraud and corruption. Your organisation has responsibilities for protecting whistleblowers.

Allegations can be made about acts or omissions by DCJ staff, or about your organisation’s staff, subcontractors, and volunteers, or a member of your governing body due to negligence or intent.

Examples include:

• fraud, forgery, misappropriation, misuse, misdirection, misapplication, maladministration or waste of funds
• conflicts of interest, nepotism, favouritism
• theft, embezzlement, tax evasion
• corruption, dishonesty involving influence
• assault, blackmail, taking or offering bribes
• abuse of public trust
• other criminally prosecutable offences directly related to employment
• failure to report or concealment of an indictable offence
• unreasonable danger to health or safety of clients
• failure to act in accordance with the applicable professional and ethical standards
• blatant disregard for policies
• privacy and data breaches
• other serious acts such as refusing to carry out lawful and/or reasonable actions required under a contract.

Note that to report a child at significant risk of harm from abuse or neglect, contact the Child Protection Helpline on 13 21 11. Find out more about making a child protection report.

We're mindful that whistleblowers may fear reprisal if they speak out against their work colleagues or organisation. We'll always treat the matter with sensitivity and protect the person’s identity and confidentiality to the extent possible.

If we believe it is appropriate to send the matter to you for investigation, we'll consult with the whistleblower beforehand.

Refer to Protecting Whistleblowers and the DCJ PID Policy (PDF, 389.5 KB) for further information about your obligations to protect whistleblowers.