On International Anti-Corruption Day, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (the Commission) is sharing results from its inaugural Commonwealth Integrity Survey.
A total of 58,309 survey responses were collected across 171 Commonwealth public sector agencies, providing valuable insights into observations and perceptions of integrity and corruption within the Commission’s jurisdiction.
High-level findings were positive:
- Almost all staff members (96%) are confident they can identify corruption in their area of responsibility, highlighting a high level of awareness and vigilance.
- Most staff members (88%) indicate willingness to report corruption if they have direct access to specific details, emphasising the importance of accessible reporting mechanisms.
- Staff members largely (79%) have faith in the integrity of their agency, reflecting a strong foundation of trust within the public sector.
- Most staff members report corrupt conduct of which they become aware. 64% of respondents who were aware of corrupt conduct took some action in response to the most recent incident of corrupt conduct in their agency of which they were aware.
- Most staff members (64% of all respondents) considered that their colleagues would be supportive of those who reported corrupt conduct, indicating a pro-reporting culture.
However, the survey also revealed areas of concern. For example, 15% of respondents said they have specific knowledge of corrupt conduct in their agency, and 24% of those have witnessed 4 or more separate incidents of corrupt conduct. Nepotism, its close relative ‘cronyism’, and fraud are the most witnessed corrupt behaviours.
A lack of evidence and fear of reprisals were the main barriers to reporting corrupt conduct.
The Commission will use the detailed survey results to assess corruption risks and identify potential vulnerabilities and issues, topics or themes that can inform the Commission’s corruption prevention and education initiatives.
The Commission will provide heads of participating agencies with their individual, de-identified reports from this week, which they can use to assess risks and opportunities in their own agencies. Publication of the agency’s results is at their own discretion.
The Commonwealth Integrity Survey was conducted over 5 weeks (19 August – 20 September 2024) and included 54 evaluative questions. Participation was completely voluntary and anonymous.
The Commission thanks everyone who participated in this year’s survey. We are dedicated to leveraging the data to enhance the integrity and transparency of the Commonwealth public sector. Insights from the survey will enable the Commission and organisations in its jurisdiction to focus anti-corruption efforts where they are most needed.
See Commonwealth Integrity Survey overall results 2024 | National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).