Premier Consulting & Integration’s Post

Why a focus on law and policy on internal displacement? What data does UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency collect on this and why? Learn about some our new tools, easily accessible to practitioners and academics alike! Refugee Law Initiative Global Protection Cluster

Internally displaced people are entitled to the protection of their country, but laws often fail to address the specific needs arising from their vulnerable situation. Here’s how national laws and policies can protect internally displaced people: https://bit.ly/3YswuHU

Is it true that only federal public servants can make a disclosure to the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner? Test your knowledge on the #whistleblowing regime of the federal #PublicSector with this True or False Challenge.

How can policymakers help create stronger government programs? We’ve compiled lessons learned on preventing and detecting improper payments and fraud from the oversight community. Check out chapter two of our Blueprint for Enhanced Program Integrity for strategies policymakers should consider when drafting legislation: https://lnkd.in/dRk6mfZE

Catch up on activity around non-competes and trade secret protection for employers before the new year. Join us December 5 for a webinar tackling FTC and NLRB rules, how state laws drive non-compete strategy, administration, enforcement, and more. https://lnkd.in/gABJdgTS

Learn how to easily comply with legislation and protect your office from costly fines that you may unknowingly be facing. Join us tomorrow for this online webinar to easily avoid fines up to $1M per incident! Register today: https://hubs.ly/Q02B8mM10

I remember 3 October 2014 like it was yesterday. It was the day I turned on the television to hear former Prime Minister Scott Morrison allege that I (and 9 other Save the Children Australia employees) coached and encouraged refugee children on Nauru to self-harm, to fabricate child abuse claims, and used children to orchestrate protests. He also told the Australian public that he referred us to the Australian Federal Police, arranged our deportation from Nauru, and removal from our positions. All without warning or any right of reply. All of this occurred shortly after I disclosed child abuse and corrupt conduct by Commonwealth contracted employees towards children and families on Nauru. The "independent" review commissioned by the Government found serious child protection failures and other types of harm on Nauru but no evidence that we had coached children to self-harm or fabricate abuse stories. All of this, it seems, was simply retaliation and a warning shot for disclosing corrupt conduct to a federal inquiry that the Government of that day was hoping to keep to itself. If documents had not been provided to the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Royal Commission on Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, or the Senate Inquiry into Conditions on Nauru; who would have believed that children were being abused? Would the Government and private businesses have ever admitted this occurred and they had known of the abuse all along if they had not been forced to? Would I have ever been able to be cleared of those allegations and get another job as a social worker if those documents weren't there to show the disclosures were not coached? More importantly, today, if whistleblowers are not protected, how much more harm will continue unchecked in our society? I am deeply disappointed in Richard Boyle's prosecution. It exposes the cracks in our whistleblower protections which are also cracks in our democracy. This prosecution - for providing evidence about harm and corruption, it could have been against any of us. Whistleblowing already costs so much. It shouldn't also cost our freedom.

Legislative changes came into effect on the 25th of April impacting, and regularising, the length of time all planning breaches will have to now wait before becoming immune to enforcement. Our latest briefing note explains why the changes were introduced, the detail and potential impacts.    If you have any questions on the new legislation or would like further details, please speak to Julia Chowings or Samuel Neal.

Following sub-section (9) added to Section 26 of Competition Act 2002 w.e.f. 19.9.2024: "(9) Upon completion of the investigation or inquiry under sub-section (7) or sub-section (8), as the case may be, the Commission may pass an order closing the matter or pass an order under section 27, and send a copy of its order to the Central Government or the State Government or the statutory authority or the parties concerned, as the case may be: Provided that before passing such order, the Commission shall issue a show-cause notice indicating the contraventions alleged to have been committed and such other details as may be specified by regulations and give a reasonable opportunity of being heard to the parties concerned.".

Advocacy’s efforts at monitoring federal agency compliance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act resulted in 46 formal comment letters and several regulatory changes over FY 2023. Read the full report at the link below: https://ow.ly/Bzjr50SptE4