{"id":"public-interest-disclosure-regulations-2003","name":"Public Interest Disclosure Regulations 2003","slug":"public-interest-disclosure-regulations-2003","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":181732,"registerId":"wa-public-interest-disclosure-regulations-2003-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Public Interest Disclosure Regulations 2003","content":"![Crest]()Western Australia\n\nPublic Interest Disclosure Act 2003\n\nPublic Interest Disclosure Regulations 2003\n\nWestern Australia\n\nPublic Interest Disclosure Regulations 2003\n\nContents\n\n1. Citation 1\n\n2. Commencement 1\n\n3. Joint action 1\n\nNotes\n\nCompilation table 2\n\n  \n\nWestern Australia\n\nPublic Interest Disclosure Act 2003\n\nPublic Interest Disclosure Regulations 2003\n\n##### 1. Citation\n\nThese regulations may be cited as the *Public Interest Disclosure Regulations 2003*.\n\n##### 2. Commencement\n\nThese regulations come into operation on the day on which the *Public Interest Disclosure Act 2003* comes into operation.\n\n##### 3. Joint action\n\nIf an appropriate disclosure of public interest information relating to the same matter is made to more than one proper authority, they may enter into such arrangements in writing with each other as are necessary and reasonable —\n\n(a) to avoid duplication of action;\n\n(b) to allow their resources to be efficiently and economically used to take action;\n\n(c) to achieve the most effective results; and\n\n(d) to ensure that a record of a disclosure is securely kept.\n\nNotes\n\n1 This is a compilation of the *Public Interest Disclosure Regulations 2003*. The following table contains information about that regulation.\n\nCompilation table\n\n| **Citation** | **Gazettal** | **Commencement** |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| *Public Interest Disclosure Regulations 2003* | 27 Jun 2003 p. 2405-6 | 1 Jul 2003 (see r. 2 and *Gazette* 27 Jun 2003 p. 2383) |\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"summary":{"complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Unable to assess scope — no legislative text was available for analysis. The page returned a system error indicating the URL has changed due to website upgrades."},"complexity_factors":["No legislative content was retrievable — the source URL returned an error page","Cannot assess actual regulatory complexity without access to the text","Score of 1 reflects absence of content, not simplicity of the underlying law"],"plain_english_summary":"## ⚠️ Content Unavailable\n\nThe requested legislation — the **Public Interest Disclosure Regulations 2003 (WA)** — could not be retrieved. The page no longer exists at its previous web address due to system upgrades on the Western Australian legislation website.\n\n**What we do know:**\n- This is a **Western Australian regulation** (subordinate law made under a parent Act)\n- It relates to **public interest disclosures** — commonly known as \"whistleblower\" protections, which allow people to report government wrongdoing without fear of punishment\n- The regulations would typically set out the **procedural details** for how the disclosure system operates in practice\n\n**What to do if you need this information:**\n- Visit the [Western Australian legislation website](https://www.legislation.wa.gov.au) and search directly for \"Public Interest Disclosure Regulations 2003\"\n- Contact the Parliamentary Counsel's Office Helpdesk as suggested on the error page"},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"These regulations remain tightly scoped to their original purpose: providing procedural machinery for the parent Act. They have not expanded beyond the narrow administrative function of enabling inter-agency coordination on disclosures."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short: only 3 sections total","Zero defined terms in the regulations themselves (relies entirely on definitions in the parent Act)","No cross-references to other legislation except the parent Act","Single operative provision with straightforward conditional logic ('if X happens, agencies may do Y')","No exceptions, exemptions, or nested conditions","Plain English drafting with minimal legal terminology"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this is:** These are the regulations that support Western Australia's whistleblower protection law — the *Public Interest Disclosure Act 2003*.\n\n**What it does:** The regulations contain just one substantive rule about how government agencies should handle whistleblower complaints when the same issue gets reported to multiple agencies.\n\n**The key rule (Section 3):** If someone makes a protected disclosure (blows the whistle) about the same matter to more than one government agency, those agencies can make written agreements with each other to:\n- **Avoid duplication** — don't investigate the same thing twice\n- **Share resources efficiently** — work together rather than compete\n- **Get better results** — coordinate for maximum impact\n- **Keep records secure** — ensure disclosure records are properly protected\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Public sector employees** who report wrongdoing (whistleblowers)\n- **Government agencies** (\"proper authorities\") that receive disclosures\n- **Investigators** handling public interest disclosures\n\n**Why it matters:** Without this rule, a whistleblower reporting corruption or serious misconduct to multiple agencies could trigger multiple separate investigations — wasting taxpayer money, confusing the whistleblower, and potentially compromising the investigation. This allows agencies to team up and handle the matter properly."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"No change of scope is evident within the regulations themselves. They only (a) provide citation and commencement timing (rr.1–2) and (b) permit proper authorities to enter written coordination arrangements about the same disclosure (r.3). The regulations do not expand or restrict who qualifies as a proper authority or alter substantive disclosure obligations in the parent Act."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument (3 clauses) that mainly sets citation and commencement (rr.1–2)","Primary operational provision is permissive coordination between agencies (r.3) rather than detailed procedural rules","Relies on an open standard — arrangements must be “necessary and reasonable” — which leaves factual assessment to agencies","Cross-authority written arrangements require inter-agency negotiation and record-keeping but no prescribed format or enforcement mechanism","Commencement tied to the parent Act, so practical effect depends on that Act coming into force (r.2)"],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations formally name the Public Interest Disclosure Regulations and start them when the Public Interest Disclosure Act starts. They let ‘proper authorities’ that each receive disclosures about the same matter enter written arrangements to coordinate their responses, share resources and keep a secure record, so as to avoid duplicate action and use resources efficiently (r.2–3). The rules do not create new investigatory powers; they enable joint action subject to what is “necessary and reasonable” (r.3)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/public-interest-disclosure-regulations-2003","history":"/api/acts/public-interest-disclosure-regulations-2003/history","analysis":"/api/acts/public-interest-disclosure-regulations-2003/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/public-interest-disclosure-regulations-2003/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/public-interest-disclosure-regulations-2003/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/public-interest-disclosure-regulations-2003/documents"}}