“This could not happen in other advanced democracies, which all have constitutional protections for journalists and their sources of information, although of course it does go on in Istanbul and Rangoon – and now in Sydney. How did we become so out of sync on press freedom, invasions of which are the sign of a second-rate country?’ Geoffrey Robertson QC wrote in an opinion piece for the Herald and The Age. ATO whistleblower Richard Boyle and his wife Louise Beaston talk about the personal toll of speaking out Credit:Ben Searcy Robertson called on parliament to make amendments requiring police to obtain the DPP’s approval and to make an application to a judge which the media can contest before any action is taken. It sounds reasonable enough but the silence from the Morrison government has been deafening. The state of whistleblower protections and press freedom in this country, including archaic defamation laws, restrictive Freedom of Information laws and little protection for sources, means it feels like we are operating in the dark.

Whistleblowers still speak up despite all this. But the events of the past week, and what has happened to a string of other whistleblowers over many years, is undoubtedly designed to stop fresh insiders from speaking out. From a democracy point of view its is chilling. Loading Without whistleblowers and the media some of the country’s biggest scandals would never have been uncovered. David McBride is due to appear in the ACT Supreme Court on June 13, charged over alleged leaked documents to the ABC which included allegations of unlawful killings by Australian troops. McBride faces 60 years in jail if found guilty, which is more than some of the country's worst rapists and murders get. In February this year new laws were passed on whistleblowing which will come into effect on July 1. They are known as the Treasury Laws Amendment (Enhancing Whistleblower Protections) Act 2019, which will require corporations, public and private, of a certain size to introduce a whistleblower policy. They don't cover the public sector.

The amendments are designed to provide protections for whistleblowers who go to the media or politicians. To qualify for protection they must first take official steps to become a whistleblower by going to the organisation or regulator. If they aren't happy with the response and decide to go public they need to prove it was based on "reasonable grounds" and that it was in the public interest. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video The amendments were introduced on the back of a deal struck in late 2015 with Senator Nick Xenophon and the then Turnbull government to secure a key industrial relations victory over Labor in return for stronger whistleblower protections. The first stage takes effect in a few weeks and according to Senator Rex Patrick, who replaced Xenophon, the next stage of reforms involves a review of the Public Interest Disclosure Act, which does look at the position of public servants.

Patrick says he called the government last week to discuss a range of issues including stage two. Other more controversial stages, including introducing rewards for whistleblowers and the establishment of a whistleblower protection authority, will be discussed sometime down the track. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video That the United States introduced bounties for whistleblowers years ago and has a day to celebrate their contribution speaks volumes about how we should be treating our whistleblowers. It paints a disturbing picture of where we are and where we are heading.

History has shown that some companies which already had whistleblower policies in place flouted them. For instance, Commonwealth Bank's chief medical officer Dr Ben Koh went through the proper channels to become a whistleblower but the bank found a reason to terminate him. A whistleblower at financial services company IOOF also went through proper channels but he too was terminated. CBA whistleblower Jeff Morris says we are living in an Orwellian state. Credit: Brendan Esposito They spoke up in the public interest but were punished for it. CBA whistleblower Jeff Morris has been trying to eke out a living since he exposed forgery and fraud and a cover up by management. He has been ostracised, he has been subject to smear campaigns and has suffered from post traumatic stress disorder.

The companies treated these people like pariahs. The public service is even worse. ATO whistleblower Richard Boyle has been unemployed since the ATO sacked him. He has suffered from depression, stress-related heart issues and is financially strapped as he tries to battle the criminal charges. "I feel like I almost died from the stress. I feel like they almost killed me and were trying to kill me," he said. "I’ve had some dark moments. It’s taken a huge toll on my mental health. I couldn’t work. I couldn’t sleep and my health spiralled into what I describe as a devastating situation," he said in a recent interview. For Jeff Morris, who has been witnessing the past week's goings on, the entire situation smacks of an Orwellian state. Given the silence of the Morrison government on all this, it certainly feels like it.