APRA staff less likely to report corruption than other agencies, NACC says
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The news: A National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) scorecard shows APRA staff are less likely to report corruption than their counterparts at other government agencies.
The staff survey showed that while the prudential regulator – which supervises Australia’s banks, insurers and superannuation funds – broadly ranked above average on dealing with corruption risks, staff consistently said they were less willing to report suspicious activity than other government workers.
The scorecard, released under the Freedom of Information Act, shows an average of 54% of APRA staff say they would report any corruption, versus a national average of 59%.
APRA staff were also 5% less likely to report corruption if someone told them specific details of corruption, and 8% less likely than other agencies if they were told about corruption without having specifics. They were also 8% less likely to report their own suspicions without having further information.
In line with other agencies, 88% of APRA staff said they would report specific instances of corruption if they had firsthand knowledge.
There was also a gap between knowing how to raise concerns to the NACC. Just two thirds of APRA staff said they knew, or thought they could easily find out, how to report suspicious activity to the Commission. Across agencies, while the government average was closer to three in four.
More than one in four APRA employees said they did not like the way their organisation was changing compared to 19% across other agencies. Just 39% of APRA employees said they strongly disagreed with that proposition, versus a 51% average benchmark across the NACC survey.
It represents as a rare red mark in a scorecard that ranked the agency slightly above average on most other measures, including on comprehension of what constitutes corruption as well as organisational controls.
In a statement to Capital Brief, APRA said the agency consistently communicated its expectations to all employees and contractors that they needed to report suspicious activity via the proper mechanisms.
"At APRA, we take a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and corruption, the potential for fraud and corruption is assessed in our daily operations and we have robust policies and operational measures designed to prevent it from occurring," a spokesperson said.
"All APRA employees, including contractors, undergo regular training to understand the risk of fraud and corruption in the course of their work, and their responsibilities in relation to identifying and reporting these matters."
"We are committed to fostering a positive culture where our people feel safe and empowered to speak up about any concerns relating to our workplace."
The context: The NACC survey was conducted in August and September last year, receiving more than 58,000 responses from 171 agencies.
The NACC report says the survey had "highlighted a range of areas for the Commission to focus on" with the results providing a useful benchmark to track initiatives and "the culture of integrity within the Commonwealth public sector".
Following that survey, agencies across the board have been looking to uplift standards.
The source: FOI
