What is a public interest disclosure
A public interest disclosure is a disclosure about certain types of wrongdoing in a government agency.
Under Queensland's Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010, anyone can make a disclosure about:
- a substantial and specific danger to the health or safety of a person with a disability
- a substantial and specific danger to the environment
- reprisal (retaliation) against a person who has already made a public interest disclosure.
If you work for Metro South Health or another public sector agency, there are other things you can make a public interest disclosure about, including:
- corrupt conduct (see below)
- mismanagement that negatively affects a person’s interests in a substantial and specific way
- a substantial misuse of public resources
- a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.
Corrupt conduct
Corrupt conduct can occur when a government employee engages in serious wrongdoing in connection with their work.
Examples of corrupt conduct may include:
- fraud or theft
- using government resources for private purposes
- physically harming or using excessive force on a patient
- staff not reporting a conflict of interest that benefits them or someone else
- inappropriate relationships between staff and patients
- inappropriately accessing or sharing confidential or patient information.
You don't need to work for a government agency to report corrupt conduct. If you have information about suspected corrupt conduct in Metro South Health, we strongly encourage you to report it.
Read more about corrupt conduct in Queensland's Crime and Corruption Act 2001.
How to report suspected corrupt conduct or make a public interest disclosure
Tell us about your concerns
You can report suspected corrupt conduct or make a public interest disclosure to our Ethical Standards Unit by either:
- email: MetroSouthESU@health.qld.gov.au
- post: PO Box 4043, Eight Mile Plains, Qld 4113.
If you can make your complaint in writing, please use our corrupt conduct and public interest disclosure complaint form [DOCX 191.83 KB].
You can also email your complaint to our chief executive at MetroSouthCE@health.qld.gov.au.
If you'd prefer to talk to someone instead, you can speak to a supervisor or manager at the facility your concerns relate to. You can do this by either phone or in person.
You don’t have to tell us who you are, but we won’t be able to contact you for more information. We also won't be able to tell you how we dealt with your concerns.
If you’re a Metro South Health staff member, you can also make a public interest disclosure to your:
- line manager
- senior management
- human resources representative.
Tell another authority
You can also make a complaint directly to:
- the Crime and Corruption Commission for corrupt conduct
- the Queensland Ombudsman for mismanagement or administrative concerns
- the Office of the Health Ombudsman for matters involving clinical concerns
- a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
If the complaint is about our chief executive
If your complaint involves our chief executive, you can email our board chair at msboard@health.qld.gov.au.
Our commitment
We encourage anyone who believes they have information about suspected corrupt conduct or other serious wrongdoing in our organisation to report it.
We treat all reports seriously and will take appropriate action to address wrongdoing when it occurs.
We'll offer support and protection to people who make public interest disclosures and want members of the public and staff to feel confident and comfortable with telling us about wrongdoing. We'll also make sure people are kept updated and are told about how we have dealt with their concerns.
Our policies and procedures
Read more about how we manage public interest disclosures and corrupt conduct.