Reporting wrongdoing

Learn how to report behaviour that breaches the Code of Ethics and Conduct or is serious wrongdoing under the Public Interest Disclosures Act 2022.

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The NSW Office of the Public Service Commissioner does not generally investigate breaches of the Code. Any complaints or allegations of wrongdoing can generally be directed to the agency that the person or subject of the allegations works for.

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Speak up about unethical behaviour

If you work in the NSW Government sector, you’re encouraged to report behaviour that goes against the Code of Ethics and Conduct or the Ethical Framework.

Raising concerns helps protect your workplace and builds trust in government. Wrongdoing can lead to:

reputational damage and disciplinary action against people that do the wrong thing
loss of public trust in the government sector
costs linked to investigations and fixing systems
damage to your agency’s culture.

If you witness or suspect wrongdoing, report it according to your agency’s policies and procedures.

If you’re unsure about what’s appropriate in a particular situation, speak with:

your manager
your agency’s ethics adviser (if available)
your HR team
a member of your agency’s executive
the team responsible for Code of Ethics and Conduct advice.

Your agency may offer other ways to raise concerns.

Heads of agencies may also contact the Office of the Public Service Commissioner directly to seek advice.

Report serious wrongdoing under the PID Act

The Public Interest Disclosures Act 2022 (PID Act) protects people who report serious wrongdoing in the NSW Government sector.

Serious wrongdoing includes:

corrupt conduct
serious maladministration
a government information contravention (other than a trivial failure to comply)
a local government pecuniary interest contravention
a privacy contravention (other than a trivial failure to comply)
a serious and substantial waste of public money.

You can report serious wrongdoing:

using your agency’s Public Interest Disclosure policy
to oversight bodies such as the:
- NSW Ombudsman
- Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)
- Auditor-General
- Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC)
- Information and Privacy Commission

If you report serious wrongdoing, the PID Act includes protections to protect you from detrimental action, such as bullying, harassment or dismissal.

It is a criminal offence and misconduct to take detrimental action against someone who makes a public interest disclosure.

The NSW Ombudsman administers the PID scheme and provides guides and resources for public sector employees and agencies.

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