New research lays blueprint for fairer, higher integrity government

Full article issued by Griffith University.

An ARC-funded report by Griffith University and Transparency International Australia sets out how Australia should build a stronger, fairer, more accountable system of government.

Led by Griffith University, the landmark assessment included contributing researchers and authors from across Australia, desktop research, two national attitude and experience surveys, five stakeholder workshops and 50 face-to-face interviews.

'Despite increased trust in the performance of governments during COVID19, citizen belief that corruption in government is a problem has also risen from 61% in 2018 to 66% in late October 2020 – confirming the imperative for action,' according to lead researcher, Professor A J Brown, from the Centre for Governance and Public Policy.

'The lack of a federal anti-corruption watchdog is confirmed as the biggest institutional gap in our integrity system.'

'However it is not a silver bullet – we need political consensus on a strong national commission, but also action to strengthen the integrity of politics and government at all levels, including more effective regulation of lobbying, checks on undue influence, and fairer, more honest election campaigns.'

 

Image: Lead author Professor A J Brown from the Centre of Governance and Public Policy. Image Credit: Griffith University