Results show that assumptions that Australia is an ‘anti-dobbing’ society are false, according to results of the first World Online Whistleblowing Survey.

 

The first stage of the survey, conducted by Newspolll, shows overwhelming concern for whisteblowers, with 81 per cent of respondents saying they should be protected and not punished for revealing inside information about serious wrongdoing.

 

However, only 53 per cent of the 1,211 respondents said they believed Australia was generally accepting of whistleblowing, with 49 per cent of organisation members saying they were confident that they own organisation was serious about protecting those that spoke up.

 

Project leader Professor A J Brown, of Griffith University, said the Australian results confirm the vital need for formal, legal protection of whistleblowing, to bring legal and social standards into line with what citizens believe is right.

 

“While many plainly still believe that Australia has an ‘anti-dobbing’ culture, these first results suggest it is not true; Australians are actually just as – if not more – interested in justice for those prepared to bring serious wrongdoing to light,” Professor Brown said.

 

Principal researcher Dr Suelette Dreyfus of the University of Melbourne, and two of Australia’s most important whistleblowers: former national security analyst and now Independent Federal MP, Andrew Wilkie, and Toni Hoffman, the nurse unit manager who exposed Bundaberg Hospital’s infamous “Dr Death” case.

 

Dr Dreyfus said the global survey would help experts understand the changing nature of whistleblowing and whistleblower protection.

 

“When you see serious wrongdoing, should you be protected if you have go to the media to expose it? What is the impact of new technology such as Twitter and Facebook? How do Australian attitudes and standards compare to other countries? This survey will help us answer these important questions,” Dr Dreyfus said.

 

“The results will be crucial for all organisations interested in increasing their accessibility to whistleblowers, and the effectiveness of whistleblowing in society,” Dr Dreyfus said.

 

The full survey, which can be answered by anyone, is at https://whistleblowingsurvey.org