How to make a whistleblower complaint

At ACU, we expect our staff, students and those we do business with to act with integrity, in line with our mission and values. Our Protected Disclosures Framework is an important tool for detecting and dealing with illegal, corrupt or unethical conduct at ACU.

What is a protected disclosure?

A protected disclosure means a disclosure of reportable conduct that is protected by commonwealth legislation or ACU’s Protected Disclosures Framework.
ACU’s Protected Disclosures Framework provides significant protections to disclosers, including the right to remain anonymous and the right to be protected from victimisation as a result of making a whistleblowing complaint.

Who can make a protected disclosure?

A protected disclosure can be made anonymously by a range of people including staff, volunteers, suppliers, contractors and certain relatives of those people. While it remains important to attempt to resolve any concerns at a local level, ACU recognises that certain matters may not be able to be reported or resolved in this way.

How do I make a protected disclosure?

In order to maximise whistleblower protections, ACU strongly encourages the use of its external reporting service known as FairCall. FairCall provides an independent avenue for disclosing various types of reportable conduct via a secure and anonymous series of contact points including a toll-free hotline, an online reporting portal and via post. Contact details for FairCall are included in Appendix A of the Protected Disclosures Procedure. Within 24 hours of a disclosure being made to FairCall, a deidentified report is sent to ACU’s Protected Disclosures Officer who will manage the disclosure in accordance with the Protected Disclosures Procedure.
You can also make disclosures internally to certain officers within the university, in accordance with the procedure, however the use of the independent FairCall service is strongly encouraged to guarantee anonymity.

What should I do if I receive a protected disclosure?

If you believe you have received a protected disclosure and require advice on the next steps, you may contact ACU’s General Counsel, Dr Diane Barker, for a confidential discussion. However, General Counsel is unable to provide personal legal advice to whistleblowers or prospective whistleblowers.

More information

General queries regarding the operation of the Protected Disclosures Framework can be directed to Protected.Disclosures@acu.edu.au. Do not submit protected disclosures via this email address.