Recruitment and employment

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Recruitment and employment practices are particularly vulnerable to corruption risks.

IBAC investigations have identified examples of managers failing to conduct pre-employment screening and vetting processes that reflect the level of access and sensitivity associated with a role. They’ve also found clear conflicts of interest – including favouritism, discrimination and nepotism.

Without probity check arrangements between public sector agencies, problematic staff can be unknowingly re-employed. ‘Recycled’ employees often repeat corrupt behaviour or misconduct at a new agency.

  • The Victorian Ombudsman identified key concerns in public sector employment arising from more than 60 investigations, including:

    • inadequate pre-employment screening
    • appointments compromised by nepotism, favouritism and conflicts of interest
    • recycling of officers with histories of questionable conduct or performance.

  • Agencies should take a risk-based approach when adopting control measures, based on a solid understanding of the corruption and misconduct risks faced by their agency, as well as the risks associated with particular positions.

    Thoroughly check candidates' backgrounds

    • Consider pre-employment screening services
    • Conduct web and social media searches.
       

    Candidate declarations

    • Require prospective public sector employees to complete a statutory declaration in relation to their prior work history, including whether they have ever been the subject of an investigation for a criminal or disciplinary matter
    • Require candidates to sign a waiver allowing employers to check their prior discipline history across the public sector – if a prospective employee consents to providing information about their employment history and it being shared between agencies, there is no breach of privacy legislation
    • Integrate mandatory reporting of declarable associations or conflicts of interest into the recruitment process and during periodic checks on an employee’s particulars
    • Introduce clear consequences for staff who fail to declare an association.
       

    Revalidating employees

    • Supervise new-starters
    • Revalidate employees security clearances at regular or random intervals.

  • After a complaint, an investigator resigned from his public sector job. He was later charged with theft, unrelated to his work, and ordered to pay thousands of dollars in restitution.

    He then took a job at an inner Melbourne council. Some years later, he was arrested and charged with several counts of bribery. He had received more than $130,000 in bribes over 10 years, for tipping off illegal brothel operators about impending compliance inspections or police raids. He was sentenced to three years and two months in prison.

Related resources

Conflicts of interest
Guidance material
Conflicts of interest
How to manage corruption risks associated with conflicts of interest in the public sector.
Find out more