Public Interest Disclosure Amendment (Review) Bill 2022

The majority voted against amendments (4) and (5) introduced by NSW Senator David Shoebridge (Greens), which means they did not succeed.

What does this amendment do?

Senator Shoebridge explained that:

These amendments aim to remove the exemption for MOP—members of parliament—staff for access to the PID Act, the Public Interest Disclosure Act. As I understand it, the opposition that may come to these provisions is that there are potentially other ways in which members of parliament staff can raise their concerns and that there are ongoing steps to provide other protections for MOP staff. But let's be clear: the Greens are moving here a recommendation of the House of Reps committee in 2009—so 14 years ago. The House of Reps committee said members of parliament staff should have access to public interest disclosures. Nothing happened. It was also a recommendation of the Set the standard report, which said that parliamentary staff employed under the MOP(S) Act should be included as public officials in section 69 of the PID Act—and that hasn't been implemented. And it is also a recommendation of the Moss review.

Amendment text

(4) Schedule 1, item 88, page 47 (line 20), omit “Parliament;”, substitute “Parliament.”.

(5) Schedule 1, item 88, page 47 (lines 21 and 22), omit paragraph 69(4)(d).