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Newly established reporting offices enable anonymous whistleblowing
To protect whistleblowers, reporting platforms have been set up at the Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption (Bundesamt zur Korruptionsprävention und Korruptionsbekämpfung – BAK) since 25 August 2023. The platforms ensure anonymous communication about breaches that have come to light in the course of professional activities.
The Whistleblower Protection Act (HinweisgeberInnenschutzgesetz – HSchG) was promulgated on 24 February 2023. On the basis of the HSchG, both a Ministry-internal and an external reporting office have been set up at the Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption, which began their activities and accept reports after the statutory deadline of 25 August 2023.
Who can report information?
Anyone who learns of certain breaches in the course of their professional activities can submit a report in accordance with the Whistleblower Protection Act (HSchG) and thus become a protected person. This includes not only employees, but also job applicants, self-employed persons, suppliers, etc. Whistleblowers must not suffer any professional disadvantage as a result of making a report.
Scope of responsibility of the reporting office
The group of persons covered by the personal scope of the Whistleblower Protection Act (HSchG) can report breaches in the following areas to the BAK's external reporting office:
• Public procurement
• Product safety and compliance
• Transport safety
• Protection of the environment
• Radiation protection and nuclear safety
• Food and feed safety; animal health and welfare
• Public health
• Consumer protection
• Protection of privacy and personal data; security of network and information systems
• Prevention and punishment of criminal offences under Sections 302 to 309 Austrian Penal Code (Strafgesetzbuch – StGB) (for example, abuse of authority, bribery and corruptibility)
• Breaches affecting the financial interests of the European Union
Anonymous communication
To protect whistleblowers, both the public, external reporting office and the Ministry of the Interior's internal reporting platform have been set up to ensure anonymous communication with reporting office staff. Reports can also be submitted verbally. Please note: Emergencies must still be reported via the general emergency call services.
In certain cases regulated by law, in particular if there is an initial suspicion under criminal law, data may have to be disclosed. Members of the federal civil service are advised to consult the FAQs on the topics of official secrecy, confidentiality and non-disclosure, or classified information, before submitting a report.
Would you like to submit a report?
Please read in advance the information on the protection of whistleblowers, the procedure for handling reports, data protection and the documentation, recording and storage of reports under the link to the reporting office and follow the instructions on the reporting platform. It is recommended that you prepare any relevant documents in advance. If you wish to remain anonymous, do not forget to black out or remove any data that could identify you personally. Also, pay attention to metadata that may be contained in electronic file formats and may allow conclusions to be drawn about your person. Metadata might include information about the author, among other things.