Whistleblower Protections

At Suncare, we are committed to doing what is right — for our customers, our people, and our community. Speaking up when something doesn’t seem right is part of living our values and maintaining the safety and quality of our services.

Whistleblowers play an important role in preventing harm and strengthening our culture of integrity. Everyone should feel safe and supported to raise concerns.

Our whistleblower protection policies ensure that Suncare has clear, lawful, and values-led frameworks for handling whistleblower disclosures that encourage and support individuals to raise concerns.

Aged Care Act Protections

1. If you have reasonable grounds to suspect that we have breached a provision of the Aged Care Act, you can make a Protected disclosure in writing or verbally, anonymously if you choose.
   
   
2. To make a Protected disclosure, you should promptly contact our designated Integrity officer. You can also inform one of our staff, who is a Responsible person or Aged care worker, and they will inform the Integrity officer.
   
   
3. We will take appropriate action as soon as practicable to respond to your disclosure in accordance with our Aged Care Whistleblower Protection Policy. This may include:
   1. Assessing whether your disclosure qualifies as a Protected disclosure.
   2. Investigating qualifying Protected disclosures.  Where necessary, this may include discussing it with you and/or anyone else involved.
   3. Reviewing our policies, practices and procedures in light of the Disclosure.
      
      
4. We will provide support for you and anyone associated with you to whom detriment may be caused because of the Protected disclosure. We will also ensure that fair treatment is provided for any person mentioned in the Protected disclosure or to whom the Protected disclosure relates.
   
   
5. You may instead choose to make a Protected disclosure to the following external parties:
   1. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner;
   2. the Complaints Commissioner;
   3. the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s staff;
   4. the System Governor;
   5. an official of the Department of Health and Aged Care;
   6. a police officer; or
   7. an independent aged care advocate.
      
      
6. If you make a Protected disclosure, we are required by law to provide you with the following protections:
   1. Protection from civil, criminal or administrative liability; and from contractual or other remedies.
   2. If you request that your name, or any other individual named in the Protected disclosure, remains anonymous, we will take such steps as is reasonable in the circumstances to preserve anonymity.
   3. We will keep your identity or any other information that may identify you confidential.
   4. We will not cause or threaten to cause detriment to you or anybody else if you make a Protected disclosure.
      
      
7. You may elect to have your Protected disclosure dealt with as a Complaint or Feedback instead. Should you do so, your disclosure will be dealt with in accordance with our Complaints and Feedback system. A disclosure that does not qualify as a Protected disclosure will be treated as a Complaint or Feedback. The Whistleblower protections mentioned above do not apply to Complaints and Feedback.
   
   
8. Disclosers who suspect there has been a breach of the protections that should be provided to them can report it to the Integrity officer, or any of the external parties in paragraph (5).
   
   
9. If you need more information, please let us know.

For more information about Suncare’s Aged Care Whistleblower Protection Policy, please contact the Integrity Officer.

You can also submit a concern or enquiry, including anonymously, through Suncare’s website at Feedback and Complaints. If someone is at immediate danger or you need emergency assistance, please call Triple Zero (000).

Corporations Act Protections

If you are a current or former Suncare worker, contractor, consultant, service provider, supplier, or business partner - or a relative, dependant or spouse of one of these individuals, and you believe you have information about misconduct or potential breaches of the law

within Suncare, you may also be eligible for whistleblower protections under the Corporations Act.

You are encouraged to make a disclosure to our independent Whistleblowing Contact Officer:

Alexander Millman of Mills Oakley Lawyers

• · Email: amillman@millsoakley.com.au (Suncare workers should use a personal email, not your Suncare account)
• · Phone: +61 7 3010 8039
• · Post: GPO Box 5247, Brisbane QLD 4001

You may also report to our Whistleblower Protection Officer. This role is held by the Chair of the Suncare Board (unless conflicted for some reason, in which case the WPO will be the Company Secretary, or in the event of conflict there as well, the Deputy Chair).

Suncare will take all disclosures seriously and manage them sensitively, respectfully, and in accordance with our legal obligations.

Suncare’s Whistleblower Protection Policy (Corporations Act) provides detailed information about:

• What qualifies as a protected disclosure
• Who can make a protected disclosure
• The protections available under the law
• How disclosures are handled at Suncare 

Contact Us or reach out to Suncare’s Integrity Officer for a copy.

Need Support?

Support available to disclosers includes: