Research - Griffith University

Site Degrees

Based on empirical research into the performance and potential of existing internal witness management approaches, this project will develop new standards for internal disclosure procedures within public sector integrity systems, foster improved coordination between internal and independent integrity bodies in the handling and oversight of disclosures, and support development and implementation of improved internal witness management strategies in a range of public sector organisational settings.

Aims and objectives

The protection of whistleblowers and other internal witnesses from corruption, misconduct and maladministration is a great unsolved problem of public sector governance. This project is a three-year collaborative national research project led by Griffith University, Queensland, Australia, into the management and protection of internal witnesses, including whistleblowers, in the Australian public sector.

This first national study of internal witness management is setting out to describe and compare organisational experience under the varying public interest disclosure regimes across Australia. By identifying and promoting current best practice in workplace responses to public interest whistleblowing, the project will use the experience and perceptions of internal witnesses and first- and second-level managers to identify more effective strategies for preventing, reducing and addressing reprisals and other whistleblowing-related conflicts.

Coordination and management

This three year project (2005-2007) is funded by the Australian Research Council, six Australian universities and fourteen Industry Partners, including leading public sector integrity and management agencies from six Australian governments. The major research is taking place in Commonwealth, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australian public sector agencies.

The Project is administered on four main levels. The Research Team provides leadership and takes executive responsibility for the project, the Steering Committee including industry partners keeps a check that the project objectives are met, the National Project Group takes responsibility for the overall research design, coordination and administration, and the State/Territory Sub-Teams undertake the empirical research at the local level.

The Project Leader is Professor A.J. Brown, Senior Research Fellow with the Socio-Legal Research Centre, Griffith University.

Key research activities

The research involves a mixture of symposia and structured workshops on key policy themes; comparative analyses of legal, policy and institutional practice; and empirical research into organisational and individual attitudes and experiences. The empirical research program includes: Agency Survey of Practices and Procedures (2005), Integrity Agency Survey (2006), Employees Survey (2006), and interviews in case study agencies with internal witnesses, case-handlers and managers (2006).

Research questions

The research questions for the project have been designed in terms of overarching questions and more specific questions directed to each of the main components of the project. The three main areas addressed are the:

incidence and significance of public sector whistleblowing (and other internal witness roles)
experiences and perceived experiences of public sector whistleblowers (and other internal witnesses)
incidence, nature and influence of internal witness management/whistleblower protection programs within and across the public sector.

Research plan

Research Plan - Summary (PDF 96k) [updated June 2007]

Research instruments

The project comprises of the following seven major surveys:

Key project meetings

Australian Public Sector Anti–Corruption conference 2007
Whistleblower National conference, 25 November, 2006
Enhancing Internal Witness Management in Queensland Public Sector Agencies, 13 November, 2006
ANU Public Law weekend, 11 November, 2006
Sixth National Investigations Symposium 2006
“Do I Dare? Vital Laws in Australia” -Commonwealth Parliamentry Library – ‘Vital Issues’ Seminar
Public Law Discussion Group – “Whistling While They Work: Prospects for Meaningful Whistleblower Protection in the Commonwealth Government”
Corruption Prevention Network QLD Seminar – “‘Boon or Bane?’ Managing Disclosure”
National Whistleblowers Conference – “Whistleblowing: Making it Work”
Steering Committee and Research Team Meeting, 19 – 20 September, 2006
Research Team Meeting, 26 July, 2007
Research Team Meeting, 24 – 25 May, 2006
Research Team Meeting, 3 – 4 February, 2006
Nationally held ‘Agency Workshops’ 2005
Project launch and public Symposium – “Whistleblowing: What We Think We Know, and What We Need to Know”, 12 July, 2005