Upon the release of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2022, one former whistleblower says that protections for those who expose corruption are deficient.
Jeff Morris paints a grim picture for any person thinking of blowing the whistle: it’ll ruin your life.
“Take it from me, the retaliation is absolutely massive,” Morris told The Mandarin.
“You will never work again in your chosen career, you’ll be driven out of the industry, as I was and as every other whistleblower has been.”
He added that many whistleblowers suffer personal costs, not just professional ones.
“Most whistleblowers wind up with a diagnosis of PTSD, as I was. Most whistleblowers who have a family lose the family, as I did temporarily,” Morrison said to The Mandarin after being named a Member of the Order of Australia (OAM).
When he worked for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Morris blew the whistle on “unbelievable practices” going on in the financial planning division.
Morris anonymously sent information about his concerns to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) in 2008.
“[ASIC] had allowed the whole sector to run out of control.
“I became aware of it because I reported what was going to ASIC and they did nothing,” Morris said.
A frustrated Morris then took his concerns to the media. The article on ASIC’s inaction was published in 2013 by Nine’s (then Fairfax’s) Adele Ferguson.
Morris did not initially plan to go outside the established complaints channel — he wanted to go within the system but felt frustrated at a lack of response.
Media coverage led to a senate inquiry into ASIC, and then came the banking royal commission.
The impact that blowing the whistle has had on his personal life and on others in the whistleblowing community is why he advocates for the creation of a separate whistleblowing-protection agency.
“[The agency] needs to have the power to protect whistleblowers against retaliation,” Morris said.
The whistleblower added there should be financial compensation, given how exposing corruption had ruined his and others’ job prospects.
The change of government, with a National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) pending and the Public Interest Disclosure Act (PID) review, has not impressed Morris thus far.
“[The NACC’s] Terms of Reference have been scandalously restricted, there’s no catch-all provision for misconduct.
“I think it should cover all public and private sector corruption,” Morris said.
Specifically, Morris called out attorney-general Mark Dreyfus’ continued prosecutions of whistleblowers David McBride of Defence and Richard Boyle of the ATO.
With all the hassle, pain, and cost of blowing the whistle, why someone would decide to follow in Morris’ footsteps is straightforward.
“It’s not actually a choice,” he said.
“It wasn’t for me, it wasn’t a matter of weighing up the pros and cons.
“I was certainly aware of them. I was aware of the likely consequences.”
With potential whistleblowers approaching him, Morris estimates only two out of 100 would-be whistleblowers then go through with it after he tells them of the personal cost.
His advice for any wishing to expose corruption is, firstly, to be aware of the cost. Secondly, he advises sending documents to journalists anonymously.
“Don’t try and do it through whistleblower provisions,” Morris said.
“It’s literally like sticking your head above the parapet and inviting somebody to blow it off. It doesn’t work.
“That’s why we absolutely need fundamental whistleblower reforms, but my level of confidence in the government currently prosecuting whistleblowers delivering that is pretty low.”
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