Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus denounces corruption as Australia climbs global transparency rankings

The government’s chief lawyer has denounced corruption as a “disease” after Australia’s position in global transparency rankings changed.

The government’s top lawyer has denounced corruption as a “disease” and vowed vigilance after Australia climbed its way back into the top 10 most transparent countries in a global ranking for the first time since 2016.

Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index gave Australia a score of 77/100, putting it above its closest allies the US and the UK.

The global corruption monitor pointed to a suite of Labor reforms in 2024, including new foreign bribery and anti-money laundering laws and the Administrative Review Tribunal.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus vowed the Albanese government would “fight against corruption” in a speech at the official release of Transparency International’s index.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus says corruption ‘erodes democracy’. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“Corruption is not abstract. It is not harmless. It is a shadow economy that erodes democracy, weakens institutions and steals from the most vulnerable in our society,” Mr Dreyfus told the event in Canberra.

“It diverts public money into the hands of the few at the expense of the many.

“It distorts markets, punishes honest businesses and deters foreign investment.

“Left unchecked, corruption becomes a disease, hollowing out institutions from within.

“It allows criminals to exploit government systems, enables fraud and money laundering and threatens national security by giving illicit actors a foothold in the economy.”

Transparency International gave the US 65/100 and the UK 71/100 – their lowest scores since the index’s creation.

While the organisation said Australia was bucking the trend, its Australia chief executive warned of “dark money”.

Australia has climbed back into the top 10 least corrupt countries in the world for the first time in nearly a decade. Picture: NewsWire / Glenn Campbell

“The evidence is clear. The government’s positive integrity reforms show Australia is turning

the corner in the fight against corruption,” Clancy Moore said in a statement.

“But the risk to our democracy remains. This includes $70m in ‘dark money’ flowing to the major parties last year, hundreds of paid lobbyists backed by big money influencing MPs behind closed doors, whistleblowers being silenced, and mis and disinformation spreading like wildfire.”

Mr Moore said Australia could “once again be a global leader in the fight against corruption if our federal political leaders get big money out of politics, properly protect whistleblowers and end secret company ownership”.

Earlier this week, independent MP Andrew Wilkie introduced a Bill to carve out new federal whistleblower protection laws and set up an independent agency to enforce them.

The Bill has the backing of a coalition of crossbenchers, including fellow MP Helen Haines and senators David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie.

Originally published as Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus denounces corruption as Australia climbs global transparency rankings