A public interest disclosure cannot be made to just anyone. It must be made to what is known as a proper authority, or PID officer, otherwise it will not be covered by the PID Act. The proper authority for receiving your public interest disclosure depends on the type of information you have.
To help you understand the PID process, we recommended that you have an initial discussion with the relevant PID officer. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking to a PID officer from the authority your matter is related to then, depending on the nature of your information, you could contact a PID officer in one of the 'named authorities' under the PID Act as below:
| Category of public interest information | Appropriate proper authority |
|---|---|
| Offences under State law | A police officer or the Corruption and Crime Commission |
| Substantial unauthorised or irregular use of, or substantial mismanagement of, public resources | Auditor General or the PID Officer of the government entity concerned |
| Matters of administration affecting someone in their personal capacity falling within the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman Western Australia | Ombudsman Western Australia or the PID Officer from the government entity concerned |
| A police officer | The Commissioner of Police or the Corruption and Crime Commission |
| A judicial officer | Chief Justice |
| A member of the Legislative Assembly | Speaker of the Legislative Assembly |
| A member of the Legislative Council | President of the Legislative Council |
| A public officer who is not a Member of Parliament, a Minister, a judicial officer or a commissioned or other officer specified in schedule 1 of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1971 | Ombudsman Western Australia, the Public Sector Commission or PID officer from the government entity concerned |
| A government entity or an officer of a government entity | A PID officer from the government entity concerned |
