Ethics training Enhancing ethical culture through ethical - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Enhancing ethical culture through ethical decision-making

Ethics training

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

What is Ethics? The basic concepts and fundamental principles of decent human conduct. It includes study

• f universal values such as the

essential equality of all men and women, human or natural rights

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Exploring ethics

Objective Public Service Employees demonstrate an understanding of how public service ethics relate to their role

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Exploring ethics

• What are my ethics?
• What are my ethics based on?

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Ethics in the public service

• Why are ethics important?
• Why should we act ethically?
• How important are ethics in the public

service?

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Government focus on ethics

2009 Integrity & Accountability Review

• Strong rules
• Strong culture
• Strong scrutiny
• Strong enforcement

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Government focus on ethics

Strong Rules Including:

• One Code of Conduct for the Public

Service

• Gifts and Benefits policy
• Regulate lobbyist industry

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Government focus on ethics

Strong Culture Including:

• Ethical leadership
• Mandatory ethics training

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Government focus on ethics

Strong Scrutiny Including:

• Integrity Of Officer.
• Requirement to publish departmental gifts

registers

• Reform State Procurement Policy

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Government focus on ethics

Strong Enforcement Including:

• Crime and Misconduct Commission
• Public Service Commission
• Effective public interest disclosure laws

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Ethics in practice

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Mandatory annual ethics training

Promoting the highest standards of integrity and accountability from everyone in public office

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Public Service Ethics

• Integrity & impartiality
• Promoting the public good
• Commitment to the system of government
• Accountability & transparency

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Public Service Ethics

Integrity & Impartiality

because: public office involves a public trust, we seek to promote public confidence in the integrity of the public sector

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Integrity & Impartiality

public sector entities:

• a. are committed to the highest ethical standards
• b. accept and value their duty to provide advice which

is objective, independent, apolitical and impartial

• c. Show respect towards all persons, including

employees, clients and the general public

• d. acknowledge the primacy of the public interest and

undertake that any conflict of interest issue will be resolved or appropriately managed in favour of the public interest

• e. are committed to honest, fair and respectful

engagement with the community.

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Integrity & Impartiality  Truthfulness  Fairness  Honesty  Not prejudiced  Unbiased  Just

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Qld Public Service Ethics

Promoting the Public Good

because: the public sector is the mechanism through which elected representatives of the people deliver programs and services for the benefit of the people of Qld

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Promoting the public good

public sector entities:

• a. accept and value their duty to be responsive to both

the requirements of government and to the public interest

• b. accept and value their duty to engage the

community in developing and effecting official public sector priorities, policies and decisions

• c. accept and value their duty to manage public

resources effectively, efficiently and economically

• d. value and seek to achieve excellence in service

delivery, and

• e. value and seek to achieve enhanced integration of

services to better service clients.

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Promoting the public good

actions that benefit

the people of Queensland as a whole

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Promoting the public good and our system of government

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Qld Public Service Ethics

Commitment to the System of Government because: public sector entities have a duty to uphold the system of govt and the laws

• f the State, Commonwealth

and local government

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Commitment to the system of government

public sector entities:

• a. accept and value their duty to uphold the

system of government and the laws of the State, the Commonwealth and local government; and

• b. are committed to effecting official public sector

priorities, policies and decisions professionally and impartially; and

• c. accept and value their duty to operate within

the framework of Ministerial responsibility to government, the Parliament and the community.

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Commitment to the system of government

the government

(elected by the people)

and the

laws and institutions

(public service and courts)

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Qld Public Service Ethics

Accountability & Transparency

because: public trust in public office requires high standards of public administration

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Accountability & Transparency

public sector entities: a. are committed to exercising proper diligence, care and attention b. are committed to using public resources in an effective and accountable manner c. are committed to managing information as openly as practicable within the legal framework d. value and seek to achieve high standards of public administration e. value and seek to innovate and continuously improve performance, and f. value and seek to operate within a framework of mutual

• bligation and shared responsibility between public sector

entities and public officials.

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Accountability & Transparency

to act

responsibly so our actions and decisions can be explained

being open

and candid so

• ur actions

and decisions can be easily understood

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Exploring ethics How will you demonstrate ethical responsibility at work?

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Applying Ethics

Public Service Employees are able to:

• identify ethical dilemmas, risks and breaches at

work

• apply public sector ethics principles to ethical

dilemmas

• respond appropriately to ethical risks and

breaches

• access appropriate sources of advice for dealing

with ethical issues

• identify actions they will commit to in order to

uphold public sector ethics in their day to day work

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Applying ethics to dilemmas

Recognising

• ethical dilemmas
• risks and
• breaches

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Applying ethics to dilemmas

ask yourself

• Am I doing the right thing?
• Test your decision

– Apply the ethics principles – Apply the law

• Get advice

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Applying ethics to dilemmas

Test your decision:

• Is it the right thing to do?
• How would the public view this?
• How will this impact on those affected?
• How would you feel if this was done to

you?

• Does this demonstrate ethical leadership?

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

• 1. Throughout your decision

ask yourself

• Am I doing the right thing?
• Record

– information – process – reasons – decision

• Communicate

– confidentially – with those involved

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

• 2. Preparing the decision

filling the GAP in your knowledge

• Gather and assess information

– relevant – Confidentially

• Apply laws
• Policy & procedures

– service wide – agency specific

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

• 3. Developing the decision

GOT it sorted… then…

• Get advice

– independent – what you need to hear

• Options & consequences - what are they?
• Test your decision

– ethics – law

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

GO

….. and

Act on your decision

(refer if you need to) after the decision

• Consider & reflect

– on your process & decision – would you change anything if you could do it again? – can agency processes be improved?

• Tell

– others what you have learnt

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Responding to ethics risks & breaches

• Reporting risks and breaches
• Questioning unethical behaviour

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

What if the law is wrong?

• Is the issue how the law has been

interpreted, or the law itself?

• Raise the need for policy change or

legislative amendment through your agency’s processes.

• If there is agreement that changes are

needed, seek advice about what should be done with your decision.

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

What if you don't agree with a direction or decision ?

• Discuss your concerns with someone you

respect.

• You must comply with all reasonable and

lawful work instructions, whether or not you personally agree with a given policy direction.

• You can refuse directions that are

unreasonable or unlawful.

• Seek advice before taking this step.

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

What if you think a decision or actions is not in the public interest?

• Public interest disclosure information

provided to an appropriate organisation about certain types of wrongdoing in the public sector

• It may be helpful to seek advice before

making a public interest disclosure

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Ethics advice

Review the issues and your options with someone independent who you respect who will tell you what you NEED to hear rather than what you want to hear

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Ethics advice

 Your supervisor or manager  Your agency ethics human resources area, or legal area

• PSC Ethics Advisory Service

1300 038 472 www.ethics.qld.gov.au

• Crime and Misconduct Commission:

3360 6060 www.cmc.qld.gov.au

www.ethics.qld.gov.au

Applying Ethics

How will you demonstrate ethical responsibility at work?