Kieran Pender | Gabriel Shipton | Lenore Taylor

The first thought that comes to mind when hearing the term “whistleblower” may be high-profile cases like Julian Assange of WikiLeaks, David McBride who was jailed for exposing war crimes and Jeannie‑Marie, who revealed serious misconduct in the Robodebt scheme. But most whistleblowers are unknown and ordinary people who shed light on corporate, government or organisational corruption and misconduct. 

Yet the very act of whistleblowing is fraught with challenges and experts are calling for greater protections to ensure Australians can exercise their democratic and moral rights. 

Join two of the foremost experts in Australia on protecting and defending the rights of whistleblowers, Kieran Pender and Gabriel Shipton. Pender is an associate legal director at the Human Rights Law Centre and the founder of the Whistleblower Project, which has advised more than 200 whistleblowers since 2023. Shipton is an Australian film producer, human rights advocate and founder of The Information Rights Project. He is best known for the global campaign he ran for the release of his brother, WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange.

We will also hear from a whistleblower on a harrowing case of wrongdoing they exposed in the prison system.

Leading commentator and former editor of Guardian Australia, Lenore Taylor, will host a critical discussion with Pender and Shipton on the crucial role whistleblowing plays to Australian democracy, and what can be done to strengthen it. 

LIVE EVENT & VENUE INFORMATION

Leighton Hall is located inside the John Niland Scientia Building at UNSW Sydney's Kensington campus (G19). Please note this is a live event only, and will not be available via livestream.   

TICKETS

ACCESS

Wheelchair Access
The closest accessible drop off point to Leighton Hall is via Gate 11, Botany Street. More information on getting there can be found via our interactive accessibility map available here.

Assisted Listening
Leighton Hall has hearing assistive technology available. Patrons wishing to utilise this service must collect a Roger™ inductive neck loop receiver from the venue staff, and this system can be used with a hearing aid or cochlear implant with a T-coil, or with headphones.

Auslan & Captioning 
Auslan interpreting services and/or live captioning can be provided for selected talks upon request.

Contact
To book and discuss access services, please call the Centre for Ideas on 02 9065 0485 or email centreforideas@unsw.edu.au.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT & PARKING

Leighton Hall (John Niland Scientia Building) is easily accessible via public transport. The closest light rail stop is the UNSW High Street (L2 line) and the closest bus stop is UNSW Gate 14, Barker Street (303). For more information please call the Transport Infoline on 131 500 or visit transportnsw.info.

Free parking is also available in the Botany St Car Park (Gate 11) from 5.30pm. For access to free parking, event patrons must park in the UNSW Permit Holder bays, available on all levels. The Botany St Car Park (Gate 11) parking station is located here.

Paid casual and visitor parking is offered via the CellOPark App and ‘pay by plate meters’ in all other UNSW car parks. The Botany St Car Park (Gate 11) parking station is the closest to the venue, and is located here. For more information head here. 

PROGRESS FOR ALL

Social cohesion, the connectedness of people to each other and their trust in the institutions that give society structure, is an important element of societal stability and security. As challenges to social cohesion increase, bridging divides to foster inclusive communities becomes an increasingly urgent and critical issue.

In the next decade, UNSW will continue efforts to strengthen societal resilience, security and cohesion. This will build on our significant education and research into human rights, justice, resilience, cohesion and inequality across Australia and the Asia Pacific region. We will focus on enabling access, ensuring equity and building trust in the digital age, through active participation in policy development, our deep research expertise, and genuine engagement with the people, communities and partners throughout our region.

You can read more about our objectives in our UNSW Strategy: Progress for All.

CONTACT

For all enquiries, please email centreforideas@unsw.edu.au or call the Centre for Ideas on 02 9065 0485.

The Centre for Ideas is happy to receive phone calls via the National Relay Service. TTY users, phone 133 677, then ask for 02 9065 0485. Speak and Listen users, phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 02 9065 0485. For more information on all other relay calls visit here.