On 15 February 2024, NACC Deputy Commissioner Nicole Rose attended the launch of the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), hosted by Transparency International Australia.
The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and business people. Using a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), the 2023 report shows Australia retained last year’s gains, holding steady with a score of 75/100.
At the launch, Deputy Commissioner Rose provided an update on the Commission’s activities to date – including more than 70 presentations to stakeholders across the Commonwealth public sector: starting with parliamentarians, agency heads and senior public servants, and extending to other stakeholders, including relevant professional associations and civil society organisations.
She also spoke about emerging themes in public sector corruption, saying:
‘Some of the trends we have seen in our first 7 months of operation relate to corruption risks in procurement and recruitment and promotion. The mechanism through which these risks arose include preferential treatment of family, friends and associates and use of insider information.’
Deputy Commissioner Rose went on to highlight 3 areas of focus for NACC corruption prevention and education work in 2024. These include:
- conflicts of interest
- ethical decision-making
- electoral issues
Deputy Commissioner Rose reminded the audience that anyone can refer a corruption issue to the NACC, and there are whistleblower protections for anyone who does so.
A recording of the launch - Corruption at the crossroads in Australia - is available via ABC Listen.