IBAC’s public service survey reveals a rise in the number of people who agree corruption is an issue

A survey of thousands of public servants by the state’s anti-corruption watchdog has uncovered damning findings about widespread misconduct.

People working in emergency services, transport, health, and depots within local councils are more likely to believe corruption is a problem, according to IBAC’s executive director of prevention and communication Dr Linda Timothy. Picture: Mark Stewart

A major study of Victoria’s public service and police by the state’s anti-corruption watchdog has revealed nearly half have seen or suspected favouritism or harassment.

The research also showed a significant jump in the number of people who agree that corruption is an issue in Victoria.

Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission last year surveyed more than 12,000 people over how misconduct was viewed across the state. The poll included more than 4400 public servants, 2471 working in local government and 1430 business suppliers.

It found that 46 per cent of the public service had either seen or suspected a breach of professional boundaries such as bullying or harassment.

There were more than 12,000 people surveyed about misconduct. Picture: David Crosling

A similar amount, 44 per cent, said they had noted concerns about favouritism within their line of work.

The results were worse among the more than 1000 police surveyed. About 58 per cent of respondents said they had seen or suspected harassment and just over half reported nepotism concerns.

Another red flag for the corruption watchdog was among those who tender for work with the government.

Most suppliers (86 per cent) agreed corruption happened in Victoria and but this figure rose as high as 93 per cent for those who had sought work in the commercial and construction sectors. This led to nearly a third saying they had avoided bidding for work because of their concerns.

Nearly half of the workers surveyed said they had seen or suspected favouritism or harassment. Picture: Ian Currie

Across the broader community, there was a major jump in the number of people who said they thought corruption was an issue in the state.

Since 2016, support for this question among public servants and the public has risen to nearly two thirds of those surveyed.

Dr Linda Timothy, IBAC’s executive director of prevention and communication, said there were positive signs that Victorians had a better understanding of what corruption was.

“However, across all groups, there are significantly more people who think that corruption occurs in Victoria,” she said.

“Diving deeper, results showed that people working in emergency services, transport, health, and depots within local councils were more likely to believe corruption is a problem, compared to other areas of the public sector.

“More than a third of business suppliers we surveyed decided not to bid for public sector or local government contracts in the last year because they were concerned about possible corruption or misconduct.

“This tells us that these areas should be a priority for support and education across agencies and the broader community, and that is something IBAC will be focusing on.”

Victorians were also surveyed about whether they thought the commission was capable and had the powers to crack down on misconduct.

It found nearly three quarters of the community had confidence in the watchdog but that this dropped off among police, government employees and contractors. The report found most people were at least “somewhat confident” in IBAC’s competency.