"Crime and corruption prosper when individuals put their private interests before the public interest. It’s that simple. The Crime and Corruption Commission’s (CCC) work in the last few years has unfortunately demonstrated that the threat of corruption remains. Whilst it manifests in new ways, we all need to work together to identify and extinguish it.
"Building strong cultures of integrity is the single most significant action our public sector leaders at all levels can take to address corruption."
Alan MacSporran QC
CCC Chairperson
The Prevention in focus series draws on CCC investigations to highlight specific prevention lessons for the Queensland public sector.
On 31 May 2019, a former Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) Inspector received a prison sentence after pleading guilty to four counts of official corruption. This publication highlights that procurement fraud and conflicts of interest continue to be major corruption risk areas for the public sector.
On 1 March 2019, a new definition of corrupt conduct came into effect, broadening the CCC’s corruption jurisdiction. The legislation now recognises that people outside the public sector can adversely influence or corrupt public sector processes, damaging public confidence in government administration. Using recent case studies, the publication highlights the CCC’s broader jurisdiction and the types of external influences that could subvert public sector operations.
Misuse of confidential information is an area of focus for the CCC. In February 2018, we released our first Prevention in Focus paper on improper access to databases. This is the second publication on the topic and highlights that disciplinary and criminal sanctions may be imposed on public sector officers who don’t follow the rules.