Module Three: Administrative Accountability and Acumen
TOPIC 3.8: How do Codes of Conduct operate to ensure accountability and ethical conduct in government?
Values, ethics and Codes of Conduct
Our focus in this unit until now has been on the role of institutions in assuring accountable government. We noted in Module 2 that an emphasis has been placed on values to drive thinking and behaviour. In Topic 3.8, the focus is on Codes of Conduct in ensuring accountable government.
In recent years, a lot of effort has been put into ensuring public servants are clear about the values and ethics required in the workplace. These values are important from a cultural perspective but are also legally enforceable through a legislated Code of Conduct (Maley, 2021).[1] This contrasts with the Ministerial Code which is not enshrined in law and is overseen by the Prime Minister or Premier.
The APS Code of Conduct is divided into the following sections (APSC, 2021):[2]
1. Working with the Government and the Parliament
2. Relationship with the public
3. Relationships in the workplace
4. Managing information
5. Conflict of interest
6. Employees as citizens
7. Using Commonwealth resources
8. Working overseas
9. Reporting suspected misconduct
Personal morality is one element of ethics but there is also a social element in as much as ethics are shared understandings about what is right, good, fair, or just. You will discuss ethics in each of the four units of this course. In this unit, you will think about it at the social level. Aristotle said ‘all politics is about ethics’ as it is the process by which societal ideals are hammered out and behaviours codified.
An agreed ethics creates the rules for interactions between citizens; be it for marriage, commerce or purposes of life and death. Where ethics breaks down, citizens have no agreed rules by which to operate and alternative systems flourish and become difficult to manage. A country like Australia has often been considered a safe place in which to invest because of the safe ethical practices by which it operates, backed of course by strong laws!
Open your assignment reflection notes and explore the impact Module 3 has upon the reform chosen.
- Has the reform made any contribution to accountable government?
- Are there any implications in your workplace?
You might also like to read Assignment 2, which you can access via unit site to have your mind prepped towards global influences.
Recommended
30 mins
Consider the following questions:
- What code of ethics does your jurisdiction operate within?
- How do these public sector values or those of your agency resonate with you and your staff?
What do you do to reinforce them with your team? - Are there any values with which you feel personally conflicted, or believe sometimes hamper the public sector?
- Are we a more ethical workforce since the adoption of a Code of Conduct? What are your reasons and examples for putting this view?
- Maley, M (2021). The Executive and the Public Service. In Australian Government and Politics. A. Fenna & R Manwaring (Eds). Pearson. pp 61-79. ↵
- APSC. (2021b). APS Values and Code of Conduct in practice. Australian Public Service Commission https://www.apsc.gov.au/publication/aps-values-and-code-conduct-practice/section-6-employees-citizens ↵