Corruption figures rise

CALLS for a federal anti-corruption watchdog are mounting as new figures show the number of public servants who misused government resources more than doubled last year.

Australian Public Service Commission figures show 126 government employees were found to have breached rules around the use of Commonwealth resources in 2016-17, up from 50 the year before.

The number of employees improperly used inside information or misused their power, status or duties also rose, up from 31 to 64.

And the number of staff who said they saw colleagues engage in corrupt behaviour soared from 2.6 per cent of the total workforce to 5 per cent from 2013-14 to 2016-17.

Of public servants who said they witnessed corrupt behaviour, 64 per cent saw cronyism, 26 per cent nepotism and 21 per cent “green-lighting” – making decisions that improperly favour a person or company or disadvantage another.

Australian Greens leader Richard Di Natale has again called for a national anticorruption watchdog in the wake of the latest figures.

“The idea that somehow the federal government is immune to corruption is laughable,” he tweeted.

“No wonder people have lost faith in their elected representatives. We need a national anti-corruption watchdog. Now.”

Of employees who breached the code, 18 per cent were fired, 76 per cent reprimanded, 22.9 per cent fined and 44.85 per cent had their pay slashed.

Former NSW Supreme Court judge Anthony Whealy, also called for a federal corruption watchdog

In most states, anticorruption agencies have been operating for decades.