Public Interest Disclosure Amendment (Review) Bill 2022

The majority voted against an amendment to the usual second reading motion "that the bill be read a second time" (giving a bill a second reading is parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill).

This amendment would not have made any legal changes, but would have been politically influential if it had succeeded as it would have represented the will of the Senate. It was introduced by NSW Senator David Shoebridge (Greens).

Amendment text

At the end of the motion, add “, but the Senate:

(a) recognises the need for further reforms to whistleblower laws; and

(b) supports ending the current prosecutions of whistleblowers David McBride and Richard Boyle and ensuring that what happened to them does not happen in the future”.