Australia's top law reform body is calling for the Government to wind back criminal procedures when dealing with whistle-blowers in the federal public service.
The Australian Law Reform Commission wants the sweeping changes to secrecy laws to include whistle-blowers only being prosecuted if their information threatens national security or a criminal investigation.
It also recommends a new general secrecy offence which would be limited to unauthorised disclosures that are likely to damage national security, interfere with an investigation or endanger someone's life or safety.
Attorney-General Robert McClelland tabled the commission's report on secrecy laws the product of a 15-month inquiry in Parliament yesterday.
He ordered the review in August 2008 after retired customs officer Allan Kessing was charged with disclosing information without due authorisation.
Details of a report he had written about security breaches at Sydney Airport were published in in 2007, two years after he had approached then Labor opposition frontbencher Anthony Albanese about his concerns.
Mr McClelland said the Government would consider the commission's recommendations before outlining its response.
For more on this story, see the print edition of today's Canberra Times.
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