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Building open, accountable and healthy democracies

We want a more accountable government, a democracy governed with transparency, accountability and integrity.

Democracy thrives when people can see, understand and participate in the decisions that affect their lives, when decision-makers are accountable for their actions, and when leaders lead with integrity.

Unfortunately, Australia’s score on the international Corruption Perceptions Index has seen a decade of decline—meaning more than a dozen expert global analyses see public sector corruption to be getting worse. Meanwhile dozens of opinion polls show Australians are losing confidence in their elected representatives and system of government.

Australia has a proud democratic tradition. We led the world with many democratic reforms throughout our history. We can make democracy work better for the common good, and ensure the government enacts laws that reflect the will of the people, support the community and protect the natural environment.

Our priorities

  • Increase transparency, accountability and equity of influence in public decision-making, elections and political appointments.
  • Enhance freedom and security for activists, whistleblowers and journalists who challenge abuse of power.
  • Strengthen capacity for integrity institutions, civil society, public and business leaders to fight corruption across the Asia-Pacific.

Corruption Perceptions Index 

Australia is now in 12th place, scoring 76 points on the 100-point scale.

Since 2012, Australia’s score has dropped 9 points.

Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index is the leading global indicator of public sector corruption, providing an annual comparative snapshot of 180 countries and territories.

This year’s report explores four important topics that are closely interlinked with corruption: justice and the rule of law, democracy and political integrity, civic space and media freedom, and public services and inequality.

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Key resource

Our Integrity Pack for Australian Federal Parliamentarians highlights the key integrity reforms we must enact to build a more democratic Australia.

The 48th Parliament presents a key opportunity to enact integrity reforms the Australian people have long been demanding.

Australia can and must do better. With key integrity reforms, this federal parliament can build a fairer, more open, and more accountable system of government, where our elected representatives stand up for the best interests of all Australians.

Download the report

Whistleblower protection

Whistleblowing is the single most important trigger—and often the first trigger for bringing problems to light.

Aspects of Australia’s private sector whistleblower protections lead the world. However, public sector protections lag behind. Loopholes, inconsistencies and lack of enforcement undermine their effectiveness, often leaving them as paper tigers.

We want clearer laws, and consistent and world-leading protection for whistleblowers and public interest journalism.

We are also calling for a Whistleblower Protection Authority to provide better assistance to whistleblowers, investigative agencies and regulators.

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Political integrity

We need to trust that decision-making is fair, honest and free of undue influence.

We need simple and consistent rules to prevent unfair influence over policy and funding decisions.

We can do this with greater transparency over lobbying and political donations, a comprehensive code of conduct for all parliamentarians, and proper penalties for deceptive political campaigning.

From participation in the multi-national Open Government Partnership to close collaboration with the Australian Democracy Network, the Bribery Prevention Network, and the Human Rights Law Centre, we are working with a movement of like-minded organisations and people who are demanding a fairer democracy.

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Combatting misinformation and disinformation

Misinformation and disinformation are rapidly corrupting public discourse, distorting elections, and undermining our ability to engage in informed debate.

This is an urgent global issue that’s reshaping how we consume news, understand facts, and define truth itself.

The spread of misinformation and disinformation is eroding public trust in institutions, making it much harder to hold corrupt actors to account by obscuring corrupt activities, skewing elections towards those keen to engage in corrupt activities and preventing people from trusting valid reports of corruption and breaches of integrity.

In Australia, it is particularly problematic in federal political advertising, which has no regulations for truth. We need new laws for truth in political advertising, and against the spread of disinformation – regulating both the political parties who are often a source of the disinformation to sway election outcomes, or against others, including foreign actors, who may be trying to do so for different reasons.

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