New laws compel VIC public sector agency heads to report suspected corruption to the VIC Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC).
The mandatory notification requirements are cover VIC Department and Agency heads, Chief Executives of VIC Local Councils, and other principal officers. Victoria Police are already required to notify IBAC of complaints of corrupt conduct or police misconduct.
Agency heads will now be required to notify the IBAC if they have reasonable grounds to suspect corruption was occurring or had occurred in their workplace.
The IBAC has issued directions, prepared resources and provided information sessions to public sector organisations to assist them in meeting their new notification obligations.
The changes will strengthen the IBAC's ability to detect and investigate allegations of public sector corruption and misconduct. It can now assess and investigate a broader range of corruption allegations; not just ‘serious’ allegations”. IBAC can now also consider if allegations could constitute misconduct in public office.
Misconduct in public office is broadly defined. It can be "any conduct by a public sector employee which is unlawful or fails to meet the ethical or professional standards."
An 11-page set of frequently asked questions about the new requirements is available at www.ibac.vic.gov.au.
Centium has assisted all forms of public sector entities in reviewing and improving their anti fraud and corruption practices including health checks of current controls, review and updates of policies and practices, as well as impactful training and awareness across all segments of an agency. We welcome you to contact us to find out more.
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