Office of the Public Sector Standards Commissioner

Public Interest Disclosures

Information about making a disclosure

What information is covered?

The PID Act only applies to disclosures of public interest information, and when certain other criteria are met.

  • The information you have must:
    • relate to a public authority, public officer, public sector contractor (a public body); and
    • relate to the performance of a public function by the public body;
    • tend to show the public body is, has been, or proposes to be involved in improper conduct, or one of the other categories of public interest information;
    • not be protected by legal professional privilege.
  • Other criteria that you need to meet:
    • You must believe on reasonable grounds that the information is or may be true.
    • It is clear that you have chosen to make a disclosure under the PID Act.
    • You have made the disclosure to the appropriate proper authority for receiving the information.

Disclosures that meet all of these criteria are known as 'appropriate disclosures of public interest information'.

Note: If your information is not public interest information, or does not meet the criteria listed above, the PID Act will not apply.

You can still make your complaint to the public authority concerned using its grievance process if the matter affects you personally, and you were an employee at the time the matter occurred. Otherwise you can use its complaints process. But please note that complaints and grievances made using these processes are not public interest disclosures: the protections available under the PID Act will not apply.

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Page last updated: July 09 2009