Bucking the system: Andrew Wilkie and the difficult task of the whistleblower

WHISTLEBLOWERS ARE PART of society's alarm and self·repair system, bringing attention to problems before they become fur more damaging.l Australian whistlcblowers have spoken du[ abollt police corrupcion, paedophilia in the churches, corporate mismanagement, biased appointment procedures, environmentally harmful practices and a host of other issues. Although whistleblowers are extremely valuable to society, most of them suffer enormously for their efforts. Ostracism, harassment, slander, reprimands, referral to psychiatrists, demotion, dismissal and blacklisting are among the common methods used to attack whistleblowers. Bosses are the usual attackers with co-workers sometimes joining in.