A review released today by the state's anti-corruption commission, IBAC, has found Victorian state government agencies are increasingly aware of corruption risks and exploring new ways to detect and prevent corrupt conduct, such as use of data analytics and the appointment of risk champions.
The review of integrity frameworks in 38 Victorian state government agencies also identified a number of ways the broader public sector could better detect and prevent corruption, such as applying robust due diligence processes for suppliers, and developing more interactive training and integrity-related performance measures.
IBAC CEO Alistair Maclean said the review was undertaken to help the broader public sector identify opportunities to improve their systems, processes and controls to prevent corrupt conduct which can undermine trust in government and the delivery of vital services and projects for Victorians.
"We encourage Victorian state government agencies to use the findings of this review to assess their own integrity frameworks and identify where they can improve," Mr Maclean said.
"Developing cultures of integrity and frameworks to prevent corruption must be a continuing focus for every state government agency. This review found some agencies have adopted innovative approaches using data analytics to detect potential corruption. That's an area other agencies may be able to learn from."
The review focused on agencies' practices in relation to key corruption risk areas, including procurement, nepotism, conflicts of interest, and information misuse.
The review found that reporting from colleagues and supervisors/managers were the most common ways suspected corrupt conduct had been identified in the participating agencies. However, a 2017 IBAC survey of state government employees found that while most respondents were willing to report if they observed corrupt conduct, only one-third were confident they knew how to report – highlighting the importance of clear, accessible reporting mechanisms.
IBAC's Yes, it's corruption. Yes, I can do something about it campaign encouraging reporting of public sector corruption is currently running on radio, in metropolitan and regional newspapers, online and in lifts in public sector office buildings. The State government integrity frameworks review released today recommends agencies encourage reports from a wide range of sources including employees and ensure reporting channels are easily accessible.
Given the resources and responsibilities entrusted to state government agencies, it is important they develop and maintain effective integrity frameworks to prevent loss of public resources, trust and other impacts that could compromise the delivery of vital programs and services for the Victorian community.
The IBAC review was conducted on a sample of agencies who agreed to share their policies and procedures with IBAC. It was not an audit and the focus was on good practice and potential opportunities for improvement within integrity frameworks. To ensure a focus on integrity frameworks rather than on individual agencies, the agencies are not identified.
The full report and summary version are available on IBAC's website.
