Tools and Resources
The Ombudsman's Office holds regular forums for Authorised Officers. For information about upcoming events contact our PID Team on 1300 362 072 or at PID@ombudsman.gov.au.
Notifications
Notification forms
The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 requires that agencies notify the Ombudsman of an allocation of a disclosure, and whenever it makes a decision not to investigate a disclosure, or to stop investigating a disclosure.
Where an investigation cannot be completed within 90 days of allocation, agencies can ask the Ombudsman to grant an extension of time to carry out a PID investigation. Forms are provided to facilitate these notifications and requests:
- Notification of allocation (Word)
- Notification of decision not to investigate (Word)
- Request for extension of time (Word)
Email completed notification forms to pid@ombudsman.gov.au.
Reports
The Ombudsman's report into the operation of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 - Extract from the Commonwealth Ombudsman's 2013-14 Annual Report.
A full copy of the Ombudsman's 2013-14 Annual Report is available from our Publications and Media page.
Guides
Commonwealth Ombudsman guides and information sheets explain the PID system, set out the obligations of agencies and suggest best practice for handling public interest disclosures.
- Agency Guide to the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (Version 2, 2016)
- Guide to making a disclosure under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013
- Guide to assessing and managing the risk of reprisal
- Public Interest Disclosure Scheme Reference Guide - setting out key actions for officers with a role in the PID scheme
- Handling a PID Flowchart (A3)
Information Sheets and FAQs
- PID - About the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013
- PID - How to make a public interest disclosure
- PID - Responsibilities of principal officers
- PID - Role of authorised officers
- PID - Roles of the Ombudsman and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security
- Supervisors and the PID scheme
- PID - Managing the risk of reprisal
- PID - Frequently asked questions
- PID - Finding the right outcome
PID e-learning
The Public Interest Disclosure (PID) e-learning will teach you about what a PID is, how you can make one, the protections that are available to disclosers and the process of a PID investigation. To view the e-learning module click here.
If your agency would like to use the PID e-learning module as a part of your educational tools we suggest you talk to your LMS administrator to ensure the correct publishing standard of the module is selected for downloading. The following options are available:
PID Logo
Government agencies, Commonwealth companies and public authorities are encouraged to use the universal, easily identifiable PID icon as a link on their internal and external websites to facilitate agencies' PID policies and procedures. The graphics are available in various formats for download:
- GIF ... [large] [medium] [small]
- PNG ... [extra-large] [large] [medium] [small]
- JPG ... [extra-large] [large] [medium] [small]
- EPS ... [extra-large]
PID Posters
The Commonwealth Ombudsman has developed a set of posters for agencies to use as a part of awareness raising and promotion of the PID scheme.
Three posters are available to download in A2 and A3 size (with crop marks for professional printing) and A4 (without crop marks for regular printing). Space is provided at the bottom of each poster for agencies to add their own information, for example where to locate PID procedures and how to contact an authorised officer.
A2 size | |||
A3 size | |||
A4 size |