Penultimate Bachelor of Laws (Honours) / Bachelor of Justice student Christjan Corias gained insight into national and global responses to corruption when he recently attended the Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference (APSACC) in Melbourne.
APSACC is the leading anti-corruption event in Australia, with a focus on preventing, exposing and responding to corrupt conduct and corruption risks in public institutions. The conference provides a platform for discussing and sharing knowledge about anti-corruption in the public sector between professionals from diverse sectors and disciplines.
“It provided a grounded evaluation of Australia’s integrity institutions and the legal frameworks that prevent corruption in the public sector. Australia currently has a score of 77 in the Corruption Perceptions Index, the leading global indicator of public sector corruption. Further, following events such as the Fitzgerald Inquiry in Queensland and the Wood Commission in New South Wales, the Australian corruption landscape has evolved from ‘in-your-face’ corruption to more nuanced and subtle forms. This can have the effect of making anti-corruption a ‘non-issue’ for Australians. APSACC demonstrated that integrity issues remain prevalent in Australia,” said Christjan.
The conference was attended by several prestigious domestic and international delegates, including Victorian Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne Ferguson, former Federal Court Justice and Commissioner for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Anne Coates and commissioners of the integrity commissions around Australia.
“Being surrounded by distinguished academic and industry professionals enriched my understanding of Australia’s integrity landscape and challenges for the future. This allowed me to contextualise my studies and opened my eyes to a career in the integrity sphere that I had never considered.”
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