The Independent Commission Against Corruption's principal functions are to investigate and prevent corruption in the NSW public sector. Its mission is to build and sustain public sector integrity.

To this end, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) developed a corruption resistance review (CRR) program for NSW public sector agencies. The CRR program has been operating for over twelve months. So far, the program has involved the ICAC, on its own initiative or at the invitation of agencies, systematically assessing the strength of agencies' corruption resistance measures and suggesting ways to improve their organisational integrity and corruption resistance. The ICAC will continue to carry out a number of CRRs each year.

However, corruption resistance is important for the whole public sector. All agencies, from mainstream departments, statutory bodies and government trading enterprises to hospitals, educational institutions and specialist boards and committees, need to find ways to reduce corruption and manage corruption risks effectively. So, as part of the CRR program, the ICAC has developed a Do-It-Yourself Corruption Resistance Guide. The aim of this new initiative is to encourage and assist agencies to take responsibility for building their own corruption resistance on an ongoing basis. The Guide:

• Sets out benchmarks for key corruption resistance measures
• Suggests how agencies might assess themselves against the benchmarks
• Lists ICAC and other agency resources that can help agencies improve their own corruption resistance measures.

The Guide is designed to help agencies to build the process of improving their corruption resistance into their normal business and corporate planning programs. ICAC investigative and research experience suggests that successful integration is better for business than add-on corruption resistance strategies. Therefore, as well as addressing obvious corruption resistance strategies such as codes of conduct and internal reporting, the Guide covers broad organisational systems and operational policies and procedures. It suggests what agencies should check for in their periodic reviews of areas such as recruitment and regulatory functions, as well as how the agency manages clients and contractors.

This is a worthwhile and important initiative to assist agencies to carry out their public functions ethically and effectively. The ICAC is distributing copies of the Do-It-Yourself Guide to Corruption Resistance widely and will hold a workshop on how to use the Guide on 29 May 2002. Please phone the ICAC on 8281 5999 if you would like to attend.

The Guide and other ICAC publications are on the ICAC's website at icac.nsw.gov.au Particular publications that complement the Guide include:

• The First Four Steps, which introduces the organisational integrity framework and discusses leaders' important role in maintaining organisational integrity
• Corruption trouble-shooting, which provides guidance and lists resources on dealing with corruption hot spots.

I commend the Do-It-Yourself Corruption Resistance Guide to you as a very useful tool for testing and improving your agency's resistance to corruption. I also urge you to provide the ICAC with every assistance possible in carrying out reviews under the CRR program and in pursuing the goal of a corruption free and ethical public sector.

C. Gellatly
Director-General

Issued (Branch): PSMO
Contact: Judith Witherss
Email:[email protected]
File no: PSM/03145
Date: 24 April 2002