Managing Conflict of Interest - Organisation for Economic Co ...

Preventing conflicts of interest in theAustralian public serviceMike JonesSenior Executive Advisor, Australian Public Service Commission (APSC), JakartaThe APS has embraced an environment of considerable changeover the last decade and a half. It has undergone significant reformto meet the increasing expectations that the Government, theParliament and the community have of its performance. Throughthese reforms the APS has committed itself to achieving betterstandards of service for its clients, ensuring public money isspent efficiently and effectively and being held accountable for theresults it achieves.But in pursuing these objectives, the APS has retained its focus onits central purpose: serving the public good, satisfying public interest,and delivering to the community their entitlements in a mannerwhich reflects the public purpose. This means preserving theessential values of public administration—such as ethical behaviour,impartiality, equity and merit while simultaneously striving forbest practice in service delivery. 1Overview of the Australian Public ServiceAustralia has a three-tiered system of government comprisingthe federal level, i.e., the Australian Government (230,000 staff); thestates and territories, each with their own legislature (1.6 millionstaff); and local levels of government featuring roughly 700 localcouncils (166,000 staff). At the federal level, 146,000 of the 230,000government employees are employed under the 1999 Public ServiceAct (PSA). Individuals employed under the PSA are referredto as Australian Public Service (APS) employees, The APS includesagencies that range widely in size from those employing around20,000–25,000 people (Centrelink, ATO, and Defense) to agenciesemploying fewer than 100 people. The arrangements outlined inthis paper apply to APS employees.1Australian Public Service Commission. 1996. Public with Your Service? In Ethicsin the Public Sector: Current Issues and Practice. Public Management OccasionalPaper No. 14, OECD, p. 2.ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific