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A quarter of Victorian public servants fear losing their job if they report corruption, while just one third are confident they know how to report it.
Research from the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission released on Monday found 25 per cent of state government employees feared losing their job, while 35 per cent said they would experience “personal repercussions” if they reported corruption.
Of those public servants surveyed, 79 per cent said they understood what corruption was – but only a third were confident they knew how to report it.
The research shows more work is needed to raise awareness on how to identify, report and prevent corruption, IBAC chief executive Alistair Maclean said on Monday.
“While the majority of respondents consider reporting is ‘the right thing to do’, it is concerning that there are low levels of confidence in the protections provided to those reporting corruption,” Mr Maclean said.
Mr Maclean said public servants need to know the law is on their side.
“These protections can include anonymity, protection from being fired or bullied for making a complaint, protection from defamation and detrimental action in reprisal, and immunity from civil or criminal liability or disciplinary action for making a disclosure,” he said.
The survey of Victorian public servants is part of broader research by IBAC to be released as part of the Corruption Prevention and Integrity Conference this week.
