Global anti-corruption movement, Transparency International (TI), launched the 2016 global corruption perceptions index (CPI) results around Australia Tuesday night.
In Brisbane, Professor AJ Brown, Griffith University’s Professor of Public Policy and Law and board member of Transparency International Australia (TIA), presented the results explaining what it means for Australia.
Brown points out that the CPI results are not based on one survey or TI opinion but rely on 13 different data sources producing rankings and significant absolute scores.
Australia’s 2016 result? Actually exactly the same as 2015, ranking of 13th out of 176 countries and a score of 79 out of 100. It is noted that Australia has previously ranked in the top ten scoring a high of 85 in 2012.
Brown, explained that 2015’s result was a “definite confirmation of a slide” adding that the big question about the 2016 result is whether “this is where we are going to stay, just a brief hiatus on the way down or can this be a turning point back to where we would like Australia to be?”
Positive developments and opportunities for Australia, according to Brown, include the open government partnership program, increased commitment to whistleblowing legislation and introduction of new federal parliamentary standards.
The “bad news” include the lack of foreign bribery convictions with continued suppression, federal and state donation and entitlement issues along with corruption scandals in both government and the private sectors.
Globally, positive aspects include the recent London corruption
summit and Brazil’s anti-corruption drive, however the negative list is longer including
the refugee crisis following Brexit and the rejection by voters of the status
quo instead favouring outsiders such as Trump in the US and Rodrigo Duterte in
the Philippines.
Though the “developed world looks a little less stable”, Brown
appears optimistic for Australia given recent developments in the political
sphere.
Global 2016 TI Index Results
