The CPI ranks 183 countries based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be: New Zealand is ranked first (least corrupt) with a score of 9.5, whileSomalia and North Korea are last with 1.0. Michael Ahrens, Executive Director of Transparency International Australia (TIA), noted that only a third of countries surveyed achieved a rating greater than five out of ten.
“There is a high risk of exposure to corruption for Australian businesses operating offshore, especially in those countries scoring poorly on the Corruption Perception Index,” Mr Ahrens said. “The recent ACSI review of the ASX200 companies indicated that 126 of these companies are exposed to high-risk sectors or countries and 40% fail to publish a policy banning bribery or facilitation payments.
"Transparency International is set to raise awareness of these issues through a program of corporate engagement and capacity building for the Australian business community.” Mr Ahrens also insists there is still a lot Australia can do to both improve public sector corruption and in preventing bribes being paid offshore.
“Public sector corruption is not an ailment confined to developing nations,” Mr Ahrens continued. “The Federal Government has taken many positive steps to combat corruption, but still needs to clarify its stance on firms that pay bribes abroad.”
An Australian launch and briefing of the Corruption Perception Index will be held on the morning of International Anti-Corruption Day, Friday December 9, 2011 in Sydney CBD. Citi Investment Research will provide an investor perspective on the risks and Xstrata Coal will provide a corporate perspective on the management of bribery and corruption.
For further information:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
The full Corruption Perception Index ranking and regional tables can be found at: www.transparency.org/cpi.
Media Contacts:
Michael Ahrens | 0411 360 209 |
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Ben Jackson| 02 9904 4333 | 0417 407 565 |
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Bob Lawrence | 02 9904 4333 | 0428 280 222 |
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
