29Meaning of disclosable conduct

#### 29 Meaning of disclosable conduct (1) Disclosable conduct is conduct of a kind mentioned in the following table that is conduct: (a) engaged in by an agency; or (b) engaged in by a public official, in connection with his or her position as a public official; or (c) engaged in by a contracted service provider for a Commonwealth contract, in connection with entering into, or giving effect to, that contract. ```html <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin-left:0.25pt; border-collapse:collapse"><thead><tr><td colspan="2" style="width:343.6pt; border-top:1.5pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext" style="page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid"><span style="font-weight:bold">Disclosable conduct</span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="width:24.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:1.5pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext" style="page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid"><span style="font-weight:bold">Item</span></p></td><td style="width:307.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:1.5pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext" style="page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid"><span style="font-weight:bold">Kinds of disclosable conduct</span></p></td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="width:24.9pt; border-top:1.5pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext" style="page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid"><span>1</span></p></td><td style="width:307.9pt; border-top:1.5pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext" style="page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid"><span>Conduct that contravenes a law of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory.</span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="width:24.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>2</span></p></td><td style="width:307.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>Conduct, in a foreign country, that contravenes a law that:</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(a) is in force in the foreign country; and</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(b) is applicable to the agency, public official or contracted service provider; and</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(c) corresponds to a law in force in the Australian Capital Territory.</span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="width:24.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>3</span></p></td><td style="width:307.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>Conduct that:</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(a) perverts, or is engaged in for the purpose of perverting, or attempting to pervert, the course of justice; or</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(b) involves, or is engaged in for the purpose of, corruption of any other kind.</span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="width:24.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>4</span></p></td><td style="width:307.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>Conduct that constitutes maladministration, including conduct that:</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(a) is based, in whole or in part, on improper motives; or</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(b) is unreasonable, unjust or oppressive; or</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(c) is negligent.</span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="width:24.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>5</span></p></td><td style="width:307.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>Conduct that is an abuse of public trust.</span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="width:24.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>6</span></p></td><td style="width:307.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>Conduct that is:</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(a) fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, or deception, in relation to:</span></p><p class="Tablei"><span>(i) proposing scientific research; or</span></p><p class="Tablei"><span>(ii) carrying out scientific research; or</span></p><p class="Tablei"><span>(iii) reporting the results of scientific research; or</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(b) misconduct relating to scientific analysis, scientific evaluation or the giving of scientific advice.</span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="width:24.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>7</span></p></td><td style="width:307.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>Conduct that results in the wastage of:</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(a) relevant money (within the meaning of the </span><span style="font-style:italic">Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013</span><span>); or</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(b) relevant property (within the meaning of that Act); or</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(c) money of a prescribed authority; or</span></p><p class="Tabletext"><span>(d) property of a prescribed authority.</span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="width:24.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>8</span></p></td><td style="width:307.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>Conduct that:</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(a) unreasonably results in a danger to the health or safety of one or more persons; or</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(b) unreasonably results in, or increases, a risk of danger to the health or safety of one or more persons.</span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="width:24.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>9</span></p></td><td style="width:307.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>Conduct that:</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(a) results in a danger to the environment; or</span></p><p class="Tablea"><span>(b) results in, or increases, a risk of danger to the environment.</span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="width:24.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:1.5pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>10</span></p></td><td style="width:307.9pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:1.5pt solid #000000; padding-right:5.4pt; padding-left:5.4pt; vertical-align:top"><p class="Tabletext"><span>Conduct of a kind prescribed by the PID rules.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table> ``` (2) Without limiting subsection (1), the following are also disclosable conduct: (a) conduct engaged in by a public official that involves, or is engaged in for the purpose of, the public official abusing his or her position as a public official; (b) conduct engaged in by a public official that could, if proved, give reasonable grounds for disciplinary action resulting in the termination of the official’s engagement or appointment. (2A) Despite subsections (1) and (2), personal work‑related conduct is not disclosable conduct unless: (a) the conduct would constitute taking a reprisal against another person, or an offence under section 19 (reprisals in relation to disclosures—offences); or (b) the conduct: (i) is of such a significant nature that it would undermine public confidence in an agency (or agencies); or (ii) has other significant implications for an agency (or agencies). > Note 1: For personal work‑related conduct, see section 29A. > Note 2: For what constitutes taking a reprisal, see section 13. (2B) To avoid doubt, if a disclosure includes information that tends to show (or that may tend to show) disclosable conduct, the disclosure is not prevented from being a public interest disclosure only because: (a) the disclosure includes other information; and (b) the other information tends to show (or may tend to show) personal work‑related conduct. (3) For the purposes of this section, it is immaterial: (a) whether conduct occurred before or after the commencement of this section; or (b) if an agency has engaged in conduct—whether the agency has ceased to exist after the conduct occurred; or (c) if a public official has engaged in conduct—whether the public official has ceased to be a public official after the conduct occurred; or (d) if a contracted service provider has engaged in conduct—whether the contracted service provider has ceased to be a contracted service provider after the conduct occurred.