Aged Care Whistleblower Protection Policy 

Information for Suncare Customers and supporters, Staff and others 

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. 

Contact Information 

For more information, or to request a copy of Suncare’s full Aged Care Whistleblower Protection Policy (including definitions, roles, and procedures), please contact the Integrity Officer.  

Issued: 01 November 2025