Media Releases

Survey results show perceptions of public sector corruption and police misconduct are on the rise

Wednesday 14 Dec 2022

Results from the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission's (IBAC) most recent 'perceptions of corruption' surveys reveal an increase in the perception that public sector corruption and police misconduct are a problem in Victoria when compared to the survey results in 2019 and 2016.

In addition, procurement and recruitment are seen as high-risk areas for corruption and misconduct, with favouritism, bullying and harassment perceived as the most prevalent breaches of professional conduct in the public sector and Victoria Police.

IBAC periodically conducts surveys to understand perceptions about corruption and police misconduct in Victoria to help inform our prevention and education activities. The findings also help raise awareness in public sector agencies and Victoria Police about possible gaps and opportunities to address corruption risks and vulnerabilities, enabling them to enhance their own approach to corruption prevention.

More than 12,000 people participated in 2022, with employees from state and local government, Victoria Police, members of the Victorian community and business suppliers to the public sector all sharing their perceptions of corruption and attitudes to reporting in Victoria.

IBAC Executive Director of Prevention and Communication Dr Linda Timothy said that a positive finding across all survey groups was that more people believe they 'know what behaviour constitutes corruption' compared to surveys undertaken in 2016.

"However, across all groups, there are significantly more people who think that corruption occurs in Victoria. Diving deeper, results showed that people working in emergency services, transport, health, and depots within local councils were more likely to believe corruption is a problem, compared to other areas of the public sector. And more than a third of business suppliers we surveyed decided not to bid for public sector or local government contracts in the last year because they were concerned about possible corruption or misconduct.

"This tells us that these areas should be a priority for support and education across agencies and the broader community, and that is something IBAC will be focusing on," Dr Timothy said.

Concerns about corruption and misconduct can undermine trust in Victoria's public sector and police. Reporting of suspected corruption or police misconduct also depends on people's awareness of these problems, how to report, and confidence they'll be taken seriously and protected.

IBAC is Victoria's agency responsible for preventing and exposing public sector corruption and police misconduct. To learn more about the survey results for each sector, please visit www.ibac.vic.gov.au/perceptions2022

Key insights from perceptions of corruption surveys in 2022

Theme	Key findings
Perceptions about corruption as a problem in Victoria	All groups more likely to think corruption is a problem in Victoria compared to past surveys
Behaviours most likely to be a 'high risk'	Commonly identified 'high risk' behaviours: Favouritism/nepotism Breach of professional boundaries (bullying and harassment) Police employees were more likely to have observed or suspected these behaviours
Offering or accepting gifts or benefits over $50	Most understand their responsibilities but suppliers more likely to perceive a higher risk that employees could accept gifts and benefits during procurement
Organisational ethical culture	Most see their workplace culture as at least 'moderately' ethical and that this cultural impact comes from the top Most rate their organisational vulnerability as 'moderate' Police more likely to rate their organisational vulnerability as 'high'
Reporting corruption and misconduct	Police most likely to say they know how to report corruption or misconduct, Victorian public sector employees least likely Most would report corruption or misconduct and would do so to their immediate manager Community members are least likely to 'definitely' report corruption Views differ between groups about whether a report would be taken seriously
Awareness and understanding of IBAC	Many are aware of IBAC, but few have a good understanding of what IBAC does Awareness and understanding of IBAC is lowest among the community All groups mainly hear about IBAC from media reporting