The Government has opened consultation on a review of tax and corporate whistleblowing laws in Australia to ensure they are working to effectively protect whistleblowers.
Whistleblowers play an important role in uncovering misconduct and wrongdoing in the tax and corporate sectors.
They need protection to feel supported in coming forward on issues which may otherwise go undetected.
Whistleblowing protection in corporate and financial services sectors was broadened and reformed into a single regime in the Corporations Act 2001 in 2019. A new tax whistleblowing regime was also introduced into the Taxation Administration Act 1953 at the same time.
The review will investigate whether these laws are working as intended, identify any ongoing concerns, and, where appropriate, recommend further improvement.
The terms of reference include consideration of whistleblowers' access to justice, and the effectiveness of the regimes in incentivising whistleblowing and disincentivising misconduct.
Corporate, financial and tax crime can be challenging to detect, and exposing wrongdoing often comes at great personal and financial risk.
A strong whistleblowing regime mitigates those risks with legal protections, while also promoting fair and competitive markets by exposing businesses that may be gaining an unfair advantage.
Interested stakeholders are invited to make submissions on the issues raised in the consultation paper.
The closing date for submissions is 29 July 2026.
