Survey reveals highest level of community perception in 22 years that ICAC reduces corruption

Thursday 23 June 2016

Community perceptions that the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is effectively reducing corruption in the state are at the highest levels recorded in 22 years, according to the results of the Commission’s latest Community Attitudes Survey, released today.

The 2015 survey findings reveal that at 60% (of respondents who were aware of the ICAC), present perceptions of whether the Commission has been successful in reducing corruption are the highest that they have ever been since the survey was first conducted in 1993.

Seventy-five percent of respondents indicated that the Commission has been successful in exposing corruption in NSW, while 93% believe that the ICAC is a good thing for the people of NSW.

While these results are positive, overall comparisons with the results of the previous 2012 survey sample conducted three years earlier show that general perceptions of the ICAC’s effectiveness appear to be stable.

“The results of the 2015 Community Attitudes Survey demonstrate the community’s belief in the integral role of the ICAC and its functions in promoting and protecting public sector integrity in NSW,” ICAC Commissioner, the Hon Megan Latham said. “The responses show that the NSW community believes that having the ICAC is a good thing for our state, and that the Commission is regarded as being effective in exposing and reducing corruption.

“The important core function the ICAC has to serve the community by exposing, investigating and preventing public sector corruption is also reflected in the strong willingness among members of the public to report suspected corrupt conduct to the ICAC,” Commissioner Latham said. “Fifty-six per cent of respondents indicated that they were very willing to report serious corrupt conduct to the ICAC, which is a significant increase on the 41% reported in the 2012 survey.”

The survey results also showed that a high proportion of respondents were aware of the ICAC; a significantly higher portion of respondents in 2015 were able to name the ICAC at 36%, compared to 25% in the 2012 sample. At 83%, overall awareness of the ICAC appears to have remained stable since the last survey.

The survey was conducted by telephone in November and December 2015 via an external contractor. The survey sample was obtained by randomly selecting NSW adults, with quotas applied in terms of age, gender and place of residence to ensure that the sample was representative of the general NSW adult population.

A total of 501 eligible people agreed to participate in the survey. Community attitudes to corruption: Report on the 2015 survey is available here.

Contact: ICAC Manager Communications & Media, Nicole Thomas, 02 8281 5799 / 0417 467 801