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The PID Act applies to public authorities. Every public authority is required to have a PID officer to receive disclosures of public interest information.

Disclosers are part of a public authority’s ‘early warning system’, assisting in the prevention and detection of unwanted conduct, which will lead to improved performance, staff morale and a greater level of public trust and confidence.

The success of the PID Act depends on employee awareness of and confidence in the Act. For employees to have the courage to make a disclosure:

• They must feel confident they will be protected.
• They must feel that making a disclosure will be worth it, ie the public authority will take appropriate action against those found to be responsible for the improper or unlawful conduct.
• They must be aware of how to make a disclosure.

By recognising disclosers as management's eyes and ears on the ‘shop floor’ and providing a confidential mechanism through which they can bring matters to light, public authorities are better positioned to avoid public embarrassment by dealing with problems ‘in house’ rather than have them exposed as a result of an external review.