Whistleblowers: In defence of truth

Kieran Pender | Gabriel Shipton | Lenore Taylor

The first thought that comes to mind when hearing the term “whistleblower” may be high-profile cases like Julian Assange of WikiLeaks, David McBride who was jailed for exposing war crimes and Jeannie‑Marie, who revealed serious misconduct in the Robodebt scheme. But most whistleblowers are unknown and ordinary people who shed light on corporate, government or organisational corruption and misconduct.

Yet the very act of whistleblowing is fraught with challenges and experts are calling for greater protections to ensure Australians can exercise their democratic and moral rights.

Join two of the foremost experts in Australia on protecting and defending the rights of whistleblowers, Kieran Pender and Gabriel Shipton. Pender is an associate legal director at the Human Rights Law Centre and the founder of the Whistleblower Project, which has advised more than 200 whistleblowers since 2023. Shipton is an Australian film producer, human rights advocate and founder of The Information Rights Project. He is best known for the global campaign he ran for the release of his brother, WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange.

We will also hear from a whistleblower on a harrowing case of wrongdoing they exposed in the prison system.

Leading commentator and former editor of Guardian Australia, Lenore Taylor, will host a critical discussion with Pender and Shipton on the crucial role whistleblowing plays to Australian democracy, and what can be done to strengthen it.

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