Calling out wrongdoing can come at a cost — here's how Australia can strengthen its whistleblowing laws

Calling out wrongdoing can come at a cost — here's how Australia can strengthen its whistleblowing laws

From Big Ideas by ABC Australia

July 20, 2026 · 53 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges faced by whistleblowers in Australia and explores ways to strengthen whistleblower protections.

From Robodebt to the banks, KPMG to the NDIS, whistleblowers have exposed egregious cases of corruption and misconduct. But it's often come at great personal cost, including risks to personal safety, liberty, relationships and reputations. So how could Australia's whistleblower protections be strengthened so that more people speak up when they witness wrongdoing? This event was recorded at the Centre for Ideas at the University of New South Wales on 16 June 2026. Speakers: Kieran Pender Associate Legal Director of the Human Rights Law Centre Founder, The Whistleblower Project Gabriel ShiptonFilm maker, storyteller, human rights advocate, co-leader of the campaign to free WikiLeaks founder Julian AssangeFounder, The Information Rights Project Lenore Taylor (host)Former editor, Guardian Australia

People in this episode

Host: Lenore Taylor

Guests: Kieran Pender, Gabriel Shipton

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Human Rights Law Centre, The Whistleblower Project, WikiLeaks, The Information Rights Project

Places: Australia, University of New South Wales

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