Media Releases
IBAC to survey MPs and councillors on their perceptions of corruption within government
Today, the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) launched its 2023 Perceptions of Corruption Survey. This year all elected representatives in Victoria – members of parliament and councillors – have been invited to participate.
The voluntary survey builds on IBAC's previous surveys on perceptions of corruption but is the first time MPs and councillors have been asked for their views. The anonymous survey will be conducted by an independent research company on behalf of IBAC.
IBAC undertakes research to better understand perceptions about public sector corruption and police misconduct as well as barriers and drivers to reporting.
As part of this research program, IBAC regularly undertakes community and stakeholder surveys to inform the development of prevention and communication initiatives to improve the public sector's resistance to corruption and misconduct. In 2022, IBAC published the results of its survey of 12,000 state and local government employees, Victoria Police employees, suppliers, and the Victorian community.
IBAC Executive Director Prevention and Communication Dr Linda Timothy said IBAC was seeking the opinions of MPs and councillors to better understand their knowledge of corruption; their perceptions about the extent of corruption; and their awareness and attitudes towards reporting corruption.
"It is important to hear the views of Victoria’s elected representatives so we can identify gaps in our knowledge and discover opportunities to address corruption risks and vulnerabilities in the public sector," Dr Timothy said.
"When we understand these knowledge gaps, we can better target our prevention and education efforts to these areas.
"We want everyone to understand what corruption is, what to look out for, how to report it, and feel confident that they will be listened to and protected if they speak to IBAC about suspected corruption."
Dr Timothy called on MPs and councillors to complete the short online survey, which is open until early June.
"We strongly encourage Victoria's elected representatives to participate in the anonymous survey so the community has an understanding of these important issues and IBAC can support the public sector to strengthen its resistance to corruption," Dr Timothy said.
