Embedding high standards of conduct

Standards of conduct are recognised as essential for guiding the behaviour of public officials in line with the public purpose of the organisation in which they work. This chapter examines actions by the federal government largely since the creation of the Public Ethics Commission in 1999 to define and effectively guide standards of conduct among federal public officials. The proposals for action focus on i) tailoring guidance and training activities to the risks associated with officials’ tasks and level of management ii) linking standards of conduct to operational risks identified through internal control and information received through the ombudsman system and iii) introducing a standardised evaluation framework to monitor and assess actual standards of conduct within individual public organisations.