Senate to protect whistleblowers in ATO audit

James Riley
Thursday, 13 May 2010 16:37

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

The Senate has issued orders to protect Australian Taxation Office employees from prosecution if they participate in an Inspector General's review of the ATO's troubled Change Program.

The motion has sought assurances from the Inspector General of Taxation Ali Noroozi that the identities of employee whistleblowers who make submissions to the inquiry will remain strictly confidential if the employee requests it, and has ordered the ATO to provide the Senate with a written assurance by the end of the month that there will be no 'prejudice against employees' that provide information to the review.

Moved by South Australian independent Senator Nick Xenophon and supported by the Opposition, the Greens and Victorian Senator Steve Fielding, the motion passed this morning with the aim of removing concerns of ATO employees who wanted to offer evidence to the review.

The $1 billion Change Program has been under fire for its cost over-runs and most recently in the long delays in delivering tax returns. The ATO conceded last month that more than 140,000 Australians had still not received last financial year's return for the office.

"This Motion is designed to give ATO employees the confidence to speak to the Inspector-General of Taxation's Review into the ATO's Change Program, without having to fear a loss of their jobs or criminal charges for disclosing information," Senator Xenophon said.

Senator Xenophon said Australia had a "woeful" track record of protecting whistleblowers and that there was "genuine fear" within the Tax Office about the potential repercussions of speaking about the Change Program problems.

"I have been approached by a number of sources who say they have important information about the Taxation Office debacle, but are scared that if they speak out they could be demoted or prosecuted," he said.