News

A NSW Ombudsman’s report on public sector whistleblowing shows that investigating agencies (which include the ICAC, the Ombudsman and the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission) received almost a thousand (964) public interest disclosures (PIDs) in the 2020-21 financial year.

NSW Ombudsman Paul Miller has called for greater visibility of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other machine technology by NSW Government agencies.

In a report tabled in Parliament this morning, the Ombudsman has cautioned agencies that using machine technology in ways that do not accord with standards of lawfulness, transparency, fairness and accountability, could lead to findings of maladministration or potentially unlawful conduct.

The NSW Ombudsman has made findings of wrong conduct by the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) in procuring the services of a contractor to ‘act in’ a vacant senior executive role for a period of around 11 months.

The findings, made under section 26 of the Ombudsman Act, include that the department acted unreasonably by treating the initial contract (and an extension a few months later) as ‘emergency procurements’, and that it had acted contrary to law by not notifying them to the NSW Procurement Board.

In a report tabled in Parliament today, the NSW Ombudsman has welcomed the introduction of a bill that re-writes the State’s whistleblower-protection laws.

“The willingness of public officials to come forward and report wrongdoing when they see it is essential to maintaining integrity and public confidence,” the Ombudsman, Paul Miller said. “The current law is overly technical and complex. It requires the public official to navigate a legal minefield.”