It is our job to obtain from you the information required.

We respect your honesty and the integrity of your decision to take action or to speak out. We understand the decision to make a report can be difficult.

We have a commitment to protect any information you provide and deal with you respectfully. We will ensure the information is brought to the attention of executive management in a timely manner.

We will support and assist you in the reporting of information whether it is online, by email or via telephone with one of our specially trained officers.  With every disclosure, we need to ensure that the we have all relevant information to provide a professional report.

In some cases this may include connecting other disclosures or other research information.  This may take additional time and resources.  Accordingly until we have enough information to make a preliminary view/report we will not forward a report to the organisation.

All whistleblowing information submitted to us is secured by the 256 bit encryption from your device to our server when using TOR Browser. (Please also review the guidance on this page.) All information is instantaneously encrypted on our server.

To enable us to get the required information we need you to assist us by doing the following:

• Provide a detailed description or outline of the issue you are reporting. It is important to remember that the issue being reported will require investigation to determine whether the actions is dishonest, is an inappropriate workplace behaviour, is an unsafe workplace or some action that is not acceptable.  Please bear in mind that some actions may not be criminal and/or prosecuted.  In some cases when all of the information has been obtained and reviewed there may be sufficient material for resolving the issue (including ending employment) but not sufficient information to lead to criminal prosecution.
• Be as objective as possible when reporting and focus on the activity not the person.  In many cases you are observing one element of a pattern of behaviour.  It is the pattern of behaviour that needs to be considered when conducting an investigation.
• If the concern is for a better work practice, then this may address the issues without necessarily nominating people.
• Give us as many specific details as possible.  This includes providing information that you may not consider relevant.  Things to think about include
  • context of the issue(s):
    • background and history leading up to the incident
    • applicable policy or procedure
    • what information is first hand (you heard or observed) and what is second hand ( you were told or it was relayed to you)
    • name of people involved and their roles
    • people involved and their connections inside/outside the organisation
    • date(s) and time(s)
    • location (places, events)
    • technology (emails, texts, meet ups)
  • extent of the problem:
    • frequency (one off, weekly, per contract)
    • prevalence (one off, rare, often, always)
    • currency (historic, ongoing, proposed)
  • people present with you when the observation was made:
    • their observations
    • purpose of the meeting
    • records of the meeting (written, audio, audio visual)
  • documents available belonging to:
    • the organisation (policies, procedures, etc)
    • your work area (policies, procedures, reports, emails, submissions, etc)
    • you (notes, comments, etc)
  • assets involved:
    • money or monetary benefits; how much if known
    • property; taken (location, sold, to be sold), used or damaged
    • activity or cost centre; exposure to hazard, increased likelihood of event, increased consequence of event, unnecessary liability or cost transfer
    • reputation; potential damage
  • prevention or improvement element:
    • loss recovery
    • loss prevention
    • business improvement
    • hazard or risk reduction
    • efficiency, cost saving, improved revenue
  • supporting evidence that you already have in your possession. Where you already have these documents you can upload them through the Web Portal.  Documents might include:
    • physical documents (electronic or scanned copies of paper documents)
    • emails (electronic or scanned copies of paper documents)
    • audio or visual recordings
    • records or evidence including where the evidence is stored and the likelihood of destruction or disposal of that evidence

On submitting your whistleblowing information using our website you will be given a unique disclosure identification (DIN) or information receipt  number (IRN). Please secure this number and do not give it to anyone else. You MUST to use this number to access further information through the Web Portal.

Once you have made a disclosure please log on WEEKLY to check to see if there is an update.  Please be patient as investigations can take some time and may be more complex than they first appear.

Important information to consider when making an online report

Important information to consider when making an online report

Suggestions to remaining anonymous

WBS understand’ s remaining anonymous is important to many of the users of our service. We are committed to maintaining your confidentiality and protecting your decision to remain anonymous.

Our confidentiality and privacy policies are accessible on our website. We encourage you to read the policies. Further, we confirm that our Service Agreement with your employer specifically prohibits us from disclosing your identity to anyone without your consent unless directed by law to do so.

WBS prides itself on its honesty and integrity and the transparency of its processes.

The WBS web site uses the latest in encryption and authentication technology, ensuring that your communications on our web site are secure and private. The ‘https’ keyword in the location bar when submitting information ensures that this connection is encrypted.

To assist you further in protecting your identity we urge you to:

• Access our web site direct at www.whistleblowingservice.com.au from you home using your own equipment (laptop, mobile, PC)
• Access our web site at www.whistleblowingservice.com.au using an internet connection at an internet cafe or public library
• DO NOT access our web site at www.whistleblowingservice.com.au using your organisation’s internet connection as some organisations can trace from which computer terminal access to our site was made
• DO NOT use your organisation’s intranet website to direct you to our site if you intend to submit secure information as some organisations can trace from which computer terminal access to our site was made
• DO NOT use your office e-mail to send WBS an anonymous e-mail as some organisations operate computer systems that can trace and read e-mail messages sent using a work e-mail address
• DO NOT use your work telephone or work mobile as some organisations have telephone systems that can trace what numbers have been dialled from a specific telephone extension. The same applies if you decide to fax information to WBS
• We suggest that you do not tell anyone in your organisation about any communication you have with WBS
• Use the Tor Browser

We follow a strict procedure

WBS’s highly trained staff have a host of experience including investigations, legal, accounting, operational management, counselling and psychology to professionally evaluate and respond to all information received. We analyse all information received and ensure it is delivered promptly to the nominated point of contact with your organisation.

The organisation has made a commitment to take appropriate action on all information received. The designated person/s decide the action required. Quality information is vital to an investigation.  Your information or experience may be only a small part of what is occurring and may be a key piece of a larger issue or problem in the organization that takes time to collect more information, investigate and complete.

We encourage you to report all information no matter how insignificant you think it may be.

An investigation can take days, weeks or months or in extreme cases years. So, don’t be alarmed or discouraged if investigation activities are not visible to you. Effective investigators may often gather evidence without anyone even being aware that their scheme has been uncovered. If you don’t see immediate action it does not mean nothing is being done.

More importantly, this approach is another level of protection of confidentiality and your anonymity.

We reiterate, WBS will not disclose the identity of any person who submits information to us without their expressed consent or when required by law to do so.

If someone nominates you as the source of the information, they are just guessing.

An investigation can take days, weeks or months or in extreme cases years. So, don’t be alarmed or discouraged if investigation activities are not visible to you. Effective investigators may often gather evidence without anyone even being aware that their scheme has been uncovered. If you don’t see immediate action it does not mean nothing is being done.

We reiterate, WBS will not disclose the identity of any person who submits information to us without their expressed consent or when required by law to do so.  We embrace your commitment to addressing misconduct.

We work with you and the organisation

We work with you and the organisation

To maximise the effectiveness of the service, WBS requires a three way commitment:

Our Commitment

• To operate an independent, confidential and secure service.
• Under no circumstances will WBS reveal the identity of the person who has provided information other than by consent of that person or court order.
• Information is analysed promptly and received by the board, director(s) or executive management.

Employee’s Commitment

• Adoption of ethical behaviour
• Responsible reporting in good faith

Organisation’s Commitment

• Board, Directors, Executive Management must listen, respect, protect and take appropriate action.
• Actively promote WBS in your organisation by advocating reporting of behaviour inconsistent with the organisation’s standards, policies and procedures.