Public awareness of corruption in Australia

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to examine public awareness and perceptions on corruption in Australia, a country that traditionally has been viewed as having relatively low levels of corruption.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents the findings of a random telephone survey of 300 people aged 16 and above, across the three most populated Australian states.FindingsThe paper suggests that corruption may be a greater issue of concern for the Australian public than has been assumed in the past, given the relatively low levels of reported systematic corruption in Australia. Moreover, while there may be widespread agreement that corruption in Australia is harmful and perhaps inevitable, people can find it difficult at times to differentiate between what is corrupt and what is not.Originality/valueThe findings presented in this paper illustrate that corruption is an issue of concern for members of the Australian public, with the majority of respondents agreeing that corruption seems to be increasing in Australia. These findings should be considered by state and federal anti‐corruption bodies as they frame their policies and processes.