Hospitals – very few people like them, yet many of us will be a resident at one time or another. Even though hospitals can be sources of great joy, places where babies are born, miracles happen and lives are saved, they also represent sickness, injury, death, and some pretty ordinary food! The people who […]
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Jill McMahon – Thursday, March 03, 2016 Corruption is a significant issue in Australia’s public sector. It can exist in many forms with varying degrees of severity. But even though its existence is well documented, it remains difficult to address because witnesses can be unwilling to report their experiences. There can be many reasons for […]
Everyone loves perks – they are quite often what makes a job just that bit more enjoyable. The benefits of on-the-job perks were clear in the film The Devil Wears Prada for example, in which the heroine sought a makeover at her fashion magazine employer as a last-ditch effort to save her job. She went […]
Procurement is big business in Australia – there are sections of government devoted solely to procurement and large organisations have policies and procedures in place to regulate procurement practices. It’s a huge area of growth but in recent years it’s also been increasingly exposed to abuse by unscrupulous employees and operators looking to gain significant […]
By Ian Edwards Changes to WA reporting requirements Coming into effect on July 1 are the changes to the reporting of Serious and Minor misconduct in accordance with the WA Corruption and Crime Commission Act 2003. The changes mean that minor misconduct is no longer required to be reported to the Corruption and Crime Commission […]
Conflict of Interest: A Source of Corruption in Government It is an unfortunate reality that supposedly small conflicts of interest can grow into fully-fledged corruption. Within government, conflicts of interest can at first seem like the most minor of issues. Certainly, small favours might be given or suppliers provided with minor inside information. Perhaps friends […]
Confronting Misconduct: Insights from the Public Service The recent release of the 2013-14 Australian Public Service (APS) State of the Service report provides some interesting kernels of data around workplace misconduct, including corruption and bullying. In particular, the report paints quite a discomforting picture of misconduct being on the increase – despite everything that the […]
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has criticised the Department of Defence for its dismissal of an employee for excessive personal internet browsing, and the use of an anonymous search engine. The dismissal took place after a workplace investigation which the commission deemed to be unfair and unreasonable. During the investigation of the employee, the Department […]
Allegations of misconduct can have a serious effect on employees and your agency’s public image. All employees who work for the Australian Public Service (APS) are required to abide by the APS code of conduct. If it is alleged that an employee has breached the terms of the APS code of conduct the agency they […]