Foundations of corruption prevention

The foundations for corruption prevention include elements that may not be formally expressed or written (such as leadership styles and the ethical climate within an organisation) and formalised systems and processes (such as having and implementing a code of conduct and an internal reporting system). Both are important for preventing corruption. 

The foundations for corruption prevention include:

• the tone set from the top
• organisational culture and expectations
• public sector ethics
• codes of conduct
• internal reporting systems
  
• systems for handling external complaints
• internal audit functions
• internal controls and risk management
• information integrity.

Having these foundations in place does not guarantee that an agency will never experience the impact of corrupt conduct. However, the ICAC believes that a corruption prevention program based on these foundations will reduce the likelihood and consequences of corrupt conduct.

The ICAC recommends that public officers tasked with overseeing an agency’s corruption prevention program also familiarise themselves with Standards Australia’s AS 8001:2021 Fraud and corruption control, the international ISO 37001 Anti-bribery management systems standard, the NSW Treasury Circular 18-02 NSW Fraud and Corruption Control Policy and the ICAC's 2023 publication, Assessing corruption control maturity.

Updated October 2024