Perception plays an important role in shaping integrity across public institutions. How people view corruption within their organisation can influence behaviour, culture, and the effectiveness of prevention strategies.

This blog offers an overview of IBAC’s 2025 Perceptions of Corruption survey findings, draws on insights from IBAC Executive Director Prevention and Communication, Dr Linda Timothy’s article on how perception informs practice, and places the survey results within the broader national context of public trust and integrity.

Understanding perceptions of corruption

The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) conducts regular Perceptions of Corruption surveys to better understand how corruption is viewed across Victoria’s public institutions. These surveys help identify perceived risks, measure awareness, and assess progress in strengthening integrity. IBAC conducts its surveys with two main stakeholder groups, alternating each year:

• Group 1: Victorian public sector and local government employees, Victoria Police employees, business suppliers to government and the Victorian community
• Group 2: Members of Parliament and councillors.

The 2025 survey was conducted with Group 2 stakeholders. Conducted in March and April 2025, it invited all MPs and councillors to participate, with 219 responses received (*27 MPs and 192 councillors).

While both MPs and councillors reported strong ethical cultures, they also agreed that their respective workplaces are vulnerable to corruption, although a large percentage of Councillors perceived their workplace was not vulnerable:

• MPs: 63% moderately vulnerable, 26% highly vulnerable; 11% not vulnerable
• Councillors: 52% moderately vulnerable, 5% highly vulnerable; 43% not vulnerable.

Perception as a tool for prevention

In her article How IBAC uses perception to inform practice, Dr Linda Timothy writes that “[t]he way that employees in an organisation perceive corruption can provide crucial insights into its vulnerabilities.” Understanding these perceptions, she explains, “help both IBAC and other organisations to work more effectively to prevent corruption and misconduct.”

IBAC’s approach to surveying different parts of the public sector each year provides a continuing picture of how integrity is viewed. Dr Timothy notes that this information “allows us to understand how people perceive integrity in their workplace, corruption and misconduct risks or vulnerabilities, and any barriers to reporting their experiences or suspicions of corruption.”

These insights are used to inform IBAC’s prevention and engagement activities, helping to shape education, training and support to strengthen integrity practices. By tracking perceptions over time, IBAC can also see whether strategies to build corruption resistance are having the desired effect.

Key findings

The 2025 survey results highlight how Members of Parliament and councillors understand, respond to, and perceive risks of corruption.

Understanding and reporting corruption

• Knowledge of corrupt behaviour – MPs: 93%; Councillors: 97%
• Knowledge of how to report corruption – MPs: 73%; Councillors: 81%
• Would report corruption if observed – MPs: 62% strongly agree, 27% somewhat agree (total 89%); Councillors – 80% strongly agree, 16% somewhat agree (total 96%).

Perceptions of corruption as a problem

• Agree corruption is a problem among elected officials – MPs: 15% strongly agree, 38% somewhat agree (total 53%); Councillors: 19% strongly agree, 38% somewhat agree (total 57%).

Peer support for reporting

• Agree their colleagues would be supportive if they reported corruption – MPs: 27% strongly agree, 23% somewhat agree (total 50%); Councillors: 45% strongly agree, 28% somewhat agree (total 73%).

Perceived vulnerability to corruption

• MPs: Highly vulnerable – 5%, Moderately vulnerable – 52%, Not vulnerable – 43%
• Councillors: Highly vulnerable – 26%, Moderately vulnerable – 63%, Not vulnerable – 11%.

Perceived risks of corrupt behaviours or misconduct

Councillors (Top 5):

1. Favouritism or nepotism – 85% view as a medium-to-high risk, (38% high, 47% medium)
2. Inaction (failing to report wrongdoing) – 83% (33% high, 50% medium) believe it’s a risk
3. Breaches of professional boundaries – 81% (32% high, 49% medium)
4. Collusion – 81% (27% high, 54% medium)
5. Misuse of resources – 78% (24% high, 54% medium).

MPs (Top 5):

1. Inaction – 96% view as a medium-to-high risk (56% high, 40% medium)
2. Collusion – 92% (42% high, 50% medium)
3. Misuse of resources – 92% (40% high, 52% medium)
4. Favouritism or nepotism – 88% (50% high, 38% medium)
5. Breaches of professional boundaries – 88% (36% high, 52% medium).

Confidence in IBAC’s role

The survey also explored perceptions of IBAC’s own performance. MPs and councillors were broadly aligned in their responses. Both groups expressed confidence in IBAC’s investigative and awareness-raising functions, but indicated lower confidence in its detection and prevention strategies.

Public trust and integrity

IBAC’s survey results were released at a time of renewed public discussion about integrity and trust. The Australian Constitutional Values Survey (2023-2027) is a national longitudinal study, building on previous survey waves and typically surveying approximately 2,000-3,000 participants nationwide. It is led by Transparency International Chair, Professor A.J. Brown and supported by the Australian Research Council. The survey gathers insights from members of the public across all states and territories about trust in government and integrity institutions.

Professor Brown presented new data from the survey in his keynote address at the Anti-corruption Commissions Conference on 13 October, showing that public confidence in Victoria’s anti-corruption system is the lowest in Australia. Only 19.5 per cent of respondents said the state government was doing a good job fighting corruption, while 27 per cent said IBAC was doing its job well. Equivalent figures were above 30 per cent in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia.

At the same time, Victoria’s integrity agencies – IBAC, the Ombudsman, and the Auditor-General – have renewed their call for Parliament, rather than government, to set their budgets independently. According to Professor Brown, granting integrity agencies budget independence is “absolutely fundamental” to restoring public trust (The Age). Data reported by The Mandarin further show that states with stronger, more visible and well-resourced anti-corruption commissions, including New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, tend to record higher public trust in their integrity systems.

Using perceptions to strengthen integrity

IBAC’s ongoing perception research helps identify where systems can be strengthened, where communications may be unclear, and where further support is needed.

Dr Timothy concludes that regular surveying “provides vital insights that are used to inform IBAC’s prevention and engagement activities – and help us tailor prevention resources to equip organisations with the tools needed to prevent corruption and misconduct and build robust integrity practices.”

Conclusion

The 2025 Perceptions of Corruption survey offers valuable insights into how MPs and councillors perceive integrity in their own institutions. It shows that elected officials recognise corruption risks and vulnerabilities, even in workplaces with strong ethical cultures. Their views help IBAC direct prevention strategies where they will matter most.

* Due to the small sample size for MPs, results for this group should be considered indicative only

Resources

• Anti-corruption bodies twice as trusted as politicians (The Mandarin)
• Budget independence for Victoria’s Independent Officers of Parliament (IBAC)
• How IBAC uses perception to inform practice (IBAC)
• Victorian perceptions of corruption 2025 (IBAC)
• Victoria’s integrity agencies push for reform amid collapse in public confidence (The Age)

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CourtHeath acknowledges the Traditional Aboriginal Owners of Country throughout Victoria and pays respect to Elders past and  present, and to the ongoing living culture of Aboriginal people.

A participant in the UN Global Compact, CourtHeath seeks to raise awareness about the sustainable development goals and the principles of the Global Compact with business and government organisations in Victoria.

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