The Australian public is entitled to have confidence in the integrity of their public officials and government suppliers, and to know the delivery of Australian Government outcomes are not undermined by conflict of interest (COI).
The Australian Government is committed to the highest standards of ethics, probity and integrity and seeks to employ or engage with individuals and businesses that strive for the same high standards of responsible behaviour.
Definition
A conflict of interest exists when a public official or other person has a personal interest, or another duty that could affect or be affected by, how the public official or person performs their public or official functions or duties.
A real (actual) conflict of interest exists where you have a personal interest or competing duty that could affect or be affected by the way you perform your official functions or duties.
An apparent (perceived) conflict of interest exists where a reasonable person might think that you have a personal interest, relationship or competing duty that could affect or be affected by the way you perform your official functions or duties, even though there is no real conflict of interest.
Other relevant terms
Personal interest includes financial and non-financial interests, competing duties (not including overriding professional duties that apply in the course of a person’s work for the Commonwealth), business interests, relationships and family relations.
A material personal interest is one that can give rise to a real or apparent COI that could affect the ability of an official to discharge their duties. Refer to the decision tree to see how the different terms operate.
Public official is defined as per the National Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2022 and includes all parliamentarians and their staff employees of the Commonwealth, and contracted service providers engaged under Commonwealth contracts.
Engagement includes a range of activities including (but not limited to) stakeholder consultation, procurement processes, and contractual agreements.
