The Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General (the Office) holds itself to the highest standard of honesty, professionalism and fairness in every facet of our operations. This standard is reflected in our commitment to preventing fraud and corruption.

What are fraud and corruption?

In accordance with the Commonwealth Fraud Control Framework, fraud is defined as:

Dishonestly obtaining a benefit, or causing a loss, by deception or other means. In this definition, ‘benefit' refers to both tangible items, such as money or objects, and intangible benefits including power, status or information.

This definition is based on the fraudulent conduct offences under part 7.3 of the Criminal Code, in addition to other relevant offences under chapter 7 of the Criminal Code.

Corruption in the Commonwealth environment is defined as:

‘Corrupt conduct' is any conduct that adversely affects, or could adversely affect, the honest or impartial exercise or performance of a public official's powers, functions, or duties. Corruption can involve a public official breaching public trust, abusing their office or misusing official information.  It can also involve any person who does something that might cause a public official to act dishonestly or in a biased way.

This definition is based on the National Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2022.

Guidelines for Reporting Fraud or Corruption

The Office takes all allegations of fraud and/or corruption seriously and it should be reported through one of the following channels:

By phone: 02 6283 3533

By Email:  fraud@gg.gov.au

By mail:  Att: Integrity Officer, Government House, Dunrossil Drive, Yarralumla ACT 2600

Suspected or potential corruption instances can also be reported to the National Anti‑Corruption Commission (NACC).

Note that where potential or suspected corruption is identified by the Office, it will be handled in accordance with legislative obligations to the NACC.

What information should I report?

The more information and specific details you can provide about the matter, the easier it will be for us to assess.

Reports can be made anonymously, and there are protections in place for whistle-blowers and anyone reporting corrupt conduct.

You are encouraged to provide the following:

• Who is involved? Include as much detail as you can such as the name of the person or organisation, addresses and phone numbers.
• What fraud or corruption you think has occurred. Include how, when and where it occurred.
• Your contact details (optional).

What will happen next?

Your information will be assessed and, where appropriate, investigated. The Office will endeavour to reply to your allegations; however, feedback may not always be provided due to privacy restrictions.

Public Interest Disclosure Act

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (PID Act) encourages and enables public officials (disclosers) to raise suspected wrongdoing within the Commonwealth public sector.

The PID Act provides additional protections for disclosers and additional reporting obligations for the Office.  Information about PID and how to make a disclosure can be found here.