Public Interest Disclosures

Any person may make a disclosure (orally, in writing, electronically or anonymously) noting that council only addresses disclosures that relate to the council or its staff.  Disclosures regarding individual councillors must be made directly to the Victorian Ombudsman or Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC).

Disclosures should be made to:

Public Interest Disclosure Coordinator
Chief Executive Officer
PO Box 580, Stawell VIC 3380 
Email: ngshire@ngshire.vic.gov.au
Phone: 5358 9823

Disclosures may also be made directly to IBAC:

Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC)
Telephone: 1300 735 135 10am-4pm Monday - Friday excluding public holidays
Email: info@ibac.vic.gov.au
Online: Report corruption or misconduct | IBAC

Victorian Ombudsman
Level 2, 570 Bourke Street Melbourne VIC 3000
1800 806 314 (between 9am-5pm Monday to Friday)
Email: ombudvic@ombudsman.vic.gov.au
Online: Complaints | Victorian Ombudsman

Council does not tolerate improper conduct by the organisation, its employees, officers and councillors, nor the taking of reprisals against those who come forward to disclose such conduct.

Employees and members of the public are encouraged to contact council with any complaints or concerns about council or its employees and to report known or suspected incidences of improper conduct.

Council will take all reasonable steps to protect a person who makes a public interest disclosure from detrimental action, including witnesses and the subject of an investigation, and arrange for appropriate welfare support where necessary.

The Public Interest Disclosure Coordinator will take all necessary steps to keep the identity of the person making a disclosure and the person about whom the disclosure is made, confidential.  All information will be stored securely in council's electronic document records management system. 

Council will ensure that all its staff are familiar with its protected disclosure procedures and the obligations under the legislation.

The coordinator will assess the complaint and if it is determined that it may be a public interest disclosure, they will notify IBAC. The person making the complaint (discloser) will be kept informed of action taken in relation to the disclosure and timeframes that apply.

If the coordinator determines that the disclosure is not an assessable disclosure under the Act they will advise the discloser.

The council may determine to address the complaint through its internal complaints process and will advise the discloser accordingly.

These procedures are designed to complement normal methods of submitting complaints to council.  Refer to our Contact us page and the Complaint Resolution Process.

Council is legislatively required to establish written Public Interest Disclosures Procedures(PDF, 366KB) to facilitate the making, handling and notification of public interest disclosures that relate to itself and its employees and officers.

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2012 enables people to make disclosures about improper conduct within the public sector without fear of reprisal.  The Act aims to ensure openness and accountability by encouraging people to make disclosures and protect them when they do.