Personnel Risk:
Low
Score:
74/100
Leadership Behaviour
Q34
58/100
Do the Defence Ministry, Defence Minister, Chiefs of Defence, and Single Service Chiefs publicly commit, through, for example, speeches, media interviews, or political mandates, to anti-corruption and integrity measures?
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Through the Defence Values, value statements of the various services, and programs, it is clear that Defence takes integrity as a value seriously; however,…
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Senior Department of Defence (DoD) officials readily speak of values and integrity in speeches and statements, but are more cagey and secretive about specific…
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Though the content of speeches and statements from unit leaders and commanders below the senior ranks of the Department of Defence are generally not…
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Q35
100/100
Are there effective measures in place for personnel found to have taken part in forms of bribery and corruption, and is there evidence that these measures are being carried out?
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Bribery is strictly disallowed by the Criminal Code Act 1995 and Defence policy. The Criminal Code Act 1995 devotes Part 7.6 to bribery and…
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As the bribery and related offences that applies to Defence personnel falls under the Criminal Code Act 1995 [1] rather than the Defence Force…
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Q36
67/100
Is whistleblowing encouraged by the government, and are whistle-blowers in military and defence ministries afforded adequate protection from reprisal for reporting evidence of corruption, in both law and practice?
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The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 [1] (PID Act) is the Australian government legislation on whistleblowing, which allows for whistleblowers – civilian and military…
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Whistleblowers in Defence can make disclosures under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 exclusively to Authorised Officers within Defence, who are all assigned to…
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Though members of the public service appear to be aware of whistleblower protections in theory, in practice, confidence in whistleblower protections is shaky. In…
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Q37
33/100
Is special attention paid to the selection, time in post, and oversight of personnel in sensitive positions, including officials and personnel in defence procurement, contracting, financial management, and commercial management?
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Although all Australian Defence positions – military and civilian – require security clearances, which focus extensively on the financial background and associated risk factors…
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In the case of Defence procurement and contracting, though seemingly not recruitment, there is a keen awareness of conflict of interest risks and there…
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Defence policy documents, like the Defence Procurement Policy Manual [1] and Military Personnel Policy Manual [2], contain no indication that there is special internal…
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Payroll, Promotions, Appointments, Rewards
Q38
83/100
Is the number of civilian and military personnel accurately known and publicly available?
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The Department of Defence publishes detailed information annually on the number of civilian and military personnel in its Annual Report [1]. This information is…
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The Annual Report contains information on military personnel in each branch of service split by officer or non-officer [1] and by different star ranked…
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There are no contemporary claims that the Australian Defence Force has ever engaged in the practice of off-the-books ghost soldiers [1].
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Q39
88/100
Are pay rates and allowances for civilian and military personnel openly published?
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Pay rates for personnel are available and accessible in plain language online. The Pay and Conditions Manual (PACMAN) consolidates all legislation, policy, and regulations…
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Allowances, bonuses, and other forms of benefits are available and accessible online. The Pay and Conditions Manual (PACMAN) consolidates all legislation, policy, and regulations…
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Q40
92/100
Do personnel receive the correct pay on time, and is the system of payment well-established, routine, and published?
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There is no evidence that late payments have been an issue for Defence in recent years. In 2010, scrutiny from the media and within…
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There is no evidence that inaccurate payments have been an issue for Defence in recent years. In 2010, scrutiny from the media and within…
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Most Defence pay information is transparent, including pay brackets for military [1] and civilian personnel [2], how pay is calculated within military ranks [3]…
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Q41
58/100
Is there an established, independent, transparent, and objective appointment system for the selection of military personnel at middle and top management level?
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The system for the selection of military personnel at the middle and top management level is formalised but independent scrutiny of promotion decisions does…
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High-profile posts do not appear to be subject to external audits [1], nor does Parliament publicly scrutinise very high level Defence appointments, though the…
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Information on the selection process is made available by service branch, and is compiled into Defence Instructions accessible on Defence intranet websites to all…
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Q42
58/100
Are personnel promoted through an objective, meritocratic process? Such a process would include promotion boards outside of the command chain, strong formal appraisal processes, and independent oversight.
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There is little information available on the formal processes behind promotion for both Public Service and military personnel of the Department of Defence (DoD),…
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Acting ranks are only used in exceptional circumstances at the very highest level of the Australian Defence Force, and the only other means of…
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The Australian Public Service, including Defence Public Service, has a searchable online archive of all promotion, hiring, retirement, movement, and other employment decisions [1].…
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This indicator has been scored ‘Not Applicable’, as no information is released about postings and promotion cycle for military personnel. It is worth noting…
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Conscription and Recruitment
Q43
NA/100
Where compulsory conscription occurs, is there a policy of not accepting bribes for avoiding conscription? Are there appropriate procedures in place to deal with such bribery, and are they applied?
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Australia has not had compulsory conscription in place since 1972 [1]. As such, this indicator is scored ‘Not Applicable’.
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Australia has not had compulsory conscription in place since 1972 [1]. As such, this indicator is scored ‘Not Applicable’.
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Australia has not had compulsory conscription in place since 1972 [1]. As such, this indicator is scored ‘Not Applicable’.
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Q44
92/100
is there a policy of refusing bribes to gain preferred postings? Are there appropriate procedures in place to deal with such bribery, and are they applied?
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Bribery is strictly disallowed by the Criminal Code Act 1995 and defence policy, and though this is not explicitly applied to bribery in pursuit…
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The Criminal Code Act 1995 says the potential penalty for bribery offences named in Q44A by an individual is up to 10 years’ imprisonment…
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The only recent case of bribery in defence reported in the media was the accepting of bribes by Australian Navy Commander Alexander Gillett, who…
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Salary Chain
Salary and relevant allowances for members of the Australia Defence Force are determined by the Defence Force Renumeration Tribunal (DFRT), which makes Determinations, agrees…
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Values and Standards
Q46
88/100
Is there a Code of Conduct for all military personnel that includes, but is not limited to, guidance with respect to bribery, gifts and hospitality, conflicts of interest, and post-separation activities? Is there evidence that breaches of the Code of Conduct are effectively addressed?
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The Australian Military Personnel Policy Manual (MILPERSMAN) [1] and related Defence Instructions (DIs) are generally comprehensive, but does not include specific guidance on bribery…
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The Military Personnel Policy Manual (MILPERSMAN) and related Defence Instructions (DIs) are made readily available to the public. MILPERSMAN and corruption risk-related DIs are…
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The Defence Annual Report [1] and Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force Annual Report [2] (IG Annual Report) contain statistics that demonstrate that…
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Relaying the key lessons of the Military Personnel Policy Manual (MILPERSMAN) and related Defence Instructions (DIs) to defence personnel is an important part of…
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Q47
100/100
Is there a Code of Conduct for all civilian personnel that includes, but is not limited to, guidance with respect to bribery, gifts and hospitality, conflicts of interest, and post-separation activities? Is there evidence that breaches of the Code of Conduct are effectively addressed?
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The Australian Public Service (APS) Code of Conduct – which also applies to civilian defence personnel – as laid out in the Public Service…
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Given that the Code of Conduct is a legal instrument under the Public Service Act 1999 [1], transparency and awareness are taken seriously in…
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The Department of Defence has comprehensive procedures for how breaches of the Australian Public Service Code of Conduct should be determined and sanctioned, and…
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Relaying the key lessons of the Australian Public Service Code of Conduct and related guidelines to civilian defence personnel is an important part of…
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Q48
50/100
Does regular anti-corruption training take place for military and civilian personnel?
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The nature of training in corruption issues available to personnel is unclear. Defence documents allude to “mandatory and focused training” to “promote… a strong…
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The regularity with which training in corruption issues is offered to personnel Is unclear. Defence documents allude to “mandatory and focused training” to “promote……
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The coverage of personnel when training on corruption issues is not entirely clear; however, the latest Defence Annual Report indicates that there is a…
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Q49
100/100
Is there a policy to make public outcomes of the prosecution of defence services personnel for corrupt activities, and is there evidence of effective prosecutions in recent years?
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The Judge Advocate General of the Australian Defence Force has a detailed and publicly available policy obliging the public release of outcomes of completed…
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The detailed and publicly available policy of the Judge Advocate General of the Australian Defence Force relating to the publication of court martial and…
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The military justice system works alongside the civilian criminal justice system to handle cases of members of the Australian Defence Force [1], and both…
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Q50
25/100
Are there effective measures in place to discourage facilitation payments (which are illegal in almost all countries)?
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As noted in previous years by Transparency International, including in the Country Recommendations in the 2015 Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index [1], facilitation payments are…
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Facilitation payments are not criminalised in Australia (see Q50A). As such, this indicator is scored Not Applicable.
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While Australian companies are increasingly banning the practice of facilitation payments, as recently as 2013 the OECD Anti-Bribery Working Group reported that facilitation payments…
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