This report analyses the first year of client data from the Human Rights Law Centre's Whistleblower project in Australia. It finds that women who blow the whistle are vital to exposing wrongdoing but are paying a heavy price for their courage. The report makes four recommendations to better protect women who blow the whistle, including establishing a Whistleblower Protection Authority which recognises and incorporates women’s experiences of speaking up.

Key findings

• Women are more likely to speak up about the endangerment of people, while men are more likely to report fraud or corruption.
• Although men and women suffer reprisal at the same rate, women are more likely to face harassment and bullying in the workplace because of their whistleblowing disclosures.
• The majority of the lowest paid clients are women, who are more likely to suffer reprisal the less they earn.
• The most prevalent industry for women in reporting wrongdoing is healthcare, where concerningly 100% of clients speaking up suffered reprisal.

Recommendations

1. Develop further research on the link between gender and whistleblowing in Australia.
2. Apply a gendered lens to urgently needed whistleblowing law reform.
3. Establish a Whistleblower Protection Authority which recognises and incorporates women’s experiences of speaking up.
4. Education and investigation into the culture of whistleblowing in the healthcare industry is urgently needed.