Corruption by Australian Government employees
Some government employees have the power to make certain decisions as part of their role. Some have access to personal or commercial-in-confidence information. Some decide how to spend government money.
This means that the Australian public puts a lot of trust in government employees.
A public official, or former public official, is acting in a corrupt way if they:
- breach this trust
- abuse their office as a public official
- misuse information they gained as a public official.
It's also corrupt to plan to do any of the above.
Corruption by government employees may include:
- awarding a tender to a friend or family member without due process
- using government resources for personal gain
- accessing information they don't need for their job
- disclosing or selling classified information.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2022 (Cth) established the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
This independent agency detects, investigates and reports on serious or systemic corrupt conduct in the federal public sector.
When requested, we provide specialist capability assistance to support the NACC’s investigations.
If you suspect corrupt conduct by a government employee,