To make an allegation
How to make a disclosure
Any person can submit an allegation to be considered under the 
Whistleblowers Protection Act 2001 (315KB). An allegation made under the Whistleblowers Protection Act 2001 is known as a disclosure.
The disclosure must be made by an individual, not by a company or organisation. The disclosure can be made anonymously.
A disclosure must be made to either the public body to which it relates or the Ombudsman. Every public body is required to establish procedures for handling disclosures. Information on how to make a disclosure should be readily available through the public body's complaint management processes and any website maintained by the public body.
In most instances it is up to you whether you make a disclosure to the public body or the Ombudsman. However, there are certain circumstances where the disclosure must be made in a particular manner.
Person who is the subject of the disclosure | Person/body to whom the disclosure must be made |
| Employee of a public body | That public body or the Ombudsman |
| Member of Parliament (Legislative Assembly) | Speaker of the Legislative Assembly |
| Member of Parliament (Legislative Council) | President of the Legislative Council |
| Councillor | The Ombudsman |
| Chief Commissioner of Police | The Ombudsman or the Director, Police Integrity |
| Member of the police force | The Ombudsman, the Director, Police Integrity or Chief Commissioner of Police |
You may make a disclosure:
- in person
- in writing
- by telephone (including at Ombudsman Victoria via TTY and interpreter services
- electronically via email or the internet
When making a disclosure it is important to set out the specific allegations as well as the grounds for those allegations, and to provide copies of any supporting documents. It is always useful to provide a written summary of the allegations when making a disclosure.
