Welcome to our September Update
A note from our Steering Committee
Welcome to the September edition of the Bribery Prevention Network bulletin, continuing our commitment to supporting Australian businesses in preventing, detecting, and addressing bribery and corruption.
In this update, we bring to you legal outcomes, key resources, and upcoming events that underscore the importance of integrity in business.
Read on to find a new guide from Austrade on how to protect your business with a strong anti-bribery and corruption program. We are also following the latest developments from AUSTRAC, which has tabled new AML/CTF Rules, and enforcement actions by NACC.
We are also excited to launch the Bribery Prevention Network Instagram page. Follow us to access a new stream of content designed to make bribery prevention more accessible. Don’t miss out on these valuable resources. Find us on Instagram today.
Read on below to find out more.
|
|
The Bribery Prevention Network is seeking Expressions of interest from organisations that are committed to building a culture of integrity and transparency in Australian business.
Becoming a Contributor Organisation reflects your organisation’s leadership, values, and commitment to a business environment where bribery has no place. This is an opportunity to be a part of a cross-sector community driving positive change, through leadership, collaboration, and action on bribery prevention.
To express interest in becoming a contributor organisation to the Bribery Prevention Network, please email [email protected]
|
|
Bribery and corruption are serious risks for Australians doing business offshore. In some export markets bribery is seen as part of doing business. But it’s a serious crime under both Australian and foreign law. Find out how to protect your business with a strong anti-bribery and corruption (ABC) program.
This guide by Austrade, outlines how to create an effective anti-bribery and corruption program; including why anti bribery and corruption compliance matters, developing your program, implementing your program, and maintaining your program.
Visit the Go Global Toolkit here.
|
|
The BPN C-Suite Video Series, delivers critical information in bite-sized chunks on Bribery Prevention for C-suite executives and senior business leaders.
Learn why proactive policies, training, and monitoring are key to reducing risk, how global laws apply to your business, and why leadership commitment sets the tone for an ethical culture. Discover the importance of risk assessments to prevent bribery and how a well-implemented compliance program helps detect and address corruption.
Empower your organisation with practical strategies to lead with integrity.
|
|
Boosting business integrity in Asia: the power of public-private cooperation
Regional Collective Action practitioners join a workshop in Bangkok in 2024 hosted by the Basel Institute on Governance and OECD in collaboration with the Thai CAC.
The latest joint blog from Basel Institute on Governance, the OECD – OCDE and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) dives into how governments and businesses across Asia are working together to control corruption and thereby increase both foreign investment and economic growth.
We’re proud to see the Bribery Prevention Network featured as an example of Australia’s approach to Collective Action, alongside initiatives from India, Thailand, and Hong Kong.
🔍 Read the blog “Boosting business integrity in Asia: the power of public-private cooperation”
|
|
AUSTRAC is supporting businesses to prepare for regulation under the amended AML/CTF Act and new Rules. Core Guidance will be released in October and Sector-Specific Guidance in December.
Corruption, including bribery, is a predicate offence to money laundering, meaning it is a criminal activity that generates illegal funds that then need to be laundered to be used. So preventing bribery also helps in AML/CTF efforts.
Read the new AML/CTF rules here.
|
|
On 20 May 2025, Sean Bryan and Mark Lester, both Australian citizens, were sentenced to three years’ imprisonment in the Auckland High Court after pleading guilty in New Zealand’s largest corruption case to date involving more than $4 million in kickbacks.
In April 2023 the SFO filed charges against the IT contractors, both of whom are Australian citizens.
Spark has pursued a civil case against Lester and Bryan to have the money repaid.
Read more here.
|
|
|
The former Executive Procurement Manager at Western Sydney Airport has been sentenced for soliciting a bribe of approximately $200,000 during a contract procurement process.
The sentence stems from a joint investigation commenced by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and the Australian Federal Police in March 2024.
Find out more here.
|
|
TerraCom Limited (TerraCom) will pay a penalty of $7.5 million for whistleblower victimisation, following Federal Court proceedings brought by ASIC. This is ASIC’s first enforcement outcome for contraventions of whistleblower provisions.
Find out more here.
|
|
Registrations are now open for the 2025 Australian Dialogue on Sustainability Governance, hosted by Bribery Prevention Network Contributors: UN Global Compact Network Australia and Allens.
Previously titled the Australian Dialogue on Bribery and Corruption, the dialogue will follow the 2025 theme: Accelerating ESG demands in critical minerals, renewable energy and green metals.
Dialogue sessions will address topics including:
- The scale of opportunity and risk in the energy transition
- Fair and responsible approaches to investments and finance
- Transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption measures to ensure good governance.
- Latest developments in Australia’s integrity frameworks, including foreign bribery reforms
- Best practice governance approaches to integrate ESG strategies
At the 2024 Dialogue, keynote speaker, The Hon. Mark Dreyfus KC, MP acknowledged the Bribery Prevention Network as a pioneering public-private partnership.
|
|
The Bribery Prevention Network is a public-private partnership that brings together business, civil society, academia and government with the shared goal of supporting Australian business to prevent, detect and address bribery and corruption and promote a culture of compliance. Read more here.
This newsletter is created for the anti-bribery community, by the anti-bribery community. Do you have news or stories to contribute to our next edition? Contact us at [email protected]
|
|
|
|
