Media Releases
State government employees confident they understand corruption, but unsure how to report it
Victorian state government employees say they have a sound understanding of what corruption is, but many are unsure how to report it, and a significant proportion fear personal repercussions if they did report it, according to research released today by the State's independent anti-corruption commission.
Research conducted for the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) reveals 79 per cent of Victorian state government employees surveyed are confident they understand corruption. And while most state government employees surveyed say they would definitely report corruption if they observed it (72 per cent), only a third were confident they knew how to report it (33 per cent).
The research also reveals that a sense of personal and community responsibility is a key motivator for public sector employees in reporting corruption.
IBAC's CEO, Mr Alistair Maclean said the research shows more work is needed to raise awareness, particularly with public sector employees, about how to identify, report and prevent corruption.
"While the majority of respondents consider reporting is ‘the right thing to do’, it is concerning that there are low levels of confidence in the protections provided to those reporting corruption," Mr Maclean said.
A significant proportion of respondents (35 per cent) felt they would experience personal repercussions or could lose their job (25 per cent) if they reported suspected corruption.
"Victoria’s protected disclosure legislation provides protections to those who report public sector corruption and misconduct in good faith. These protections can include anonymity, protection from being fired or bullied for making a complaint, protection from defamation and detrimental action in reprisal, and immunity from civil or criminal liability or disciplinary action for making a disclosure," Mr Maclean explained.
"There is an opportunity for Victoria's public sector agencies to enhance their education of employees about corruption prevention and reporting, and to promote the important role managers and protected disclosure coordinators play in supporting employees to speak up and report suspected wrongdoing."
"IBAC will continue our community education campaign to raise awareness about corruption, and is holding a corruption prevention conference this week to help the public sector build its capacity to actively resist corruption," Mr Maclean added.
The survey of Victorian state government employees is part of broader research by IBAC examining perceptions of corruption among state government, local government and Victoria Police employees, as well as the wider community. IBAC is sharing these and other research findings at its Corruption Prevention and Integrity Conference this week.
Media contact: media@ibac.vic.gov.au or 0427 480 840
