‘It’s about accountability’: Directors back federal anti-corruption watchdog

More than two thirds of directors support a federal anti-corruption body, says a new survey, which has also identified government integrity and trustworthiness as key election concerns.

As political debate flares over a federal integrity commission, a survey from the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) on Wednesday found 72 per cent of respondents were in favour of establishing such a watchdog.

While the survey of 1700 directors did not ask further questions on the issue, including on the contentious topic of how such a watchdog should be designed, AICD chief executive Angus Armour said the results came amid patchy levels of trust in government and a focus in the community on accountability.

“I’m not surprised from the perspective that the level of trust in government varies considerably across the country,” Armour said in an interview.

“If I step back from some of the underpinnings, ultimately it’s about accountability. I think the community is looking for a degree of accountability now … whether it’s in the corporate environment or … in government.”

The findings were part of the AICD’s six-monthly director sentiment index, which measures directors’ perspectives on a range of topical issues and includes respondents from listed and unlisted companies, not-for profit organisations and government bodies.

When asked about the most important election issues, directors nominated economic management, addressing climate change, and leadership as the top three issues.

Government integrity and trustworthiness ranked equal fourth, and a separate survey question also showed just over half of respondents said they did not trust the federal government.

The Coalition and Labor are divided over the establishment of a federal anti-corruption body – which was a 2019 election promise of Prime Minister Scott Morrison before he effectively abandoned the commitment to set up a federal integrity commission this month.