Non-fiction 

Naku Dharuk The Bark Petitions: How the People of Yirrkala Changed the Course of Australian Democracy, Clare Wright. 

A moving tale of diplomacy, coalition building and strategy of Australia’s First Peoples, told through the Bark Petitions of the Yolngu people, in fighting for land rights and connection to country. An insight in a little know but important chapter in Australian democracy and the people who made it. 

The Chairman’s Lounge: The Inside Story of how Qantas Sold Us Out, Joe Aston.  

This book has everything: a powerful elite benefiting from their networks, an autocratic leadership, deals brokered in the shadows, a national symbol brought low through hubris. A fascinating polemic on some of the insidious ways that the powerful abuse their positions, both within the high-flying world of Qantas and in the halls of power more broadly. Sure to resonate with frequent flyers and anti-corruption practitioners across Australia. 

Mean Streak, Rick Morton. 

Morton forensically examines Australia’s unlawful Robodebt scheme, revealing how political decisions and abuses of power led to people receiving government support being unfairly targeted with fake debts, often with devastating consequences. This powerful exposé of government failure and moral lapse is a must read for students of governance. 

Doing Business with Criminals: Between Exclusion and Surveillance, by Dr Anton Moiseienko, Australian National University.  

This new book by this TI Australia collaborator and leading academic, Dr Anton Moiseienko provides, a comprehensive account of how legitimate companies occasionally find themselves doing business with criminals, wittingly or unwittingly, and how financial crime laws impact these situations.  

Rinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World’s Deadliest Crooks, By Geoff White.  

This book is an interesting investigation into the new army of innovative criminals using tech to launder money…and the consequences for all of us. A valuable companion for the financial crime community and part of my reading pack for our annual January camping trip. 

Bribery, Corruption and Sanctions Laws in Australia, by Robert Wyld.  

When Tam McLaughlin of TI Australia member Duxton Hill recommended this, he noted how striking was the ‘continued, outsized, importance of the banknote scandal involving Securency and Note Printing Australia in shaping Australia’s anti-bribery landscape.” The text is must-read for anti-bribery and corruption practitioners, providing a robust overview of bribery and corruption laws in Australia. With the statutory review of Australia’s new foreign bribery laws on the horizon, the book concludes with a thoughtful discussion into a deferred prosecution agreement scheme. 

The Digitalisation of Anti-Corruption in Brazil-Scandals Reforms and Innovation by Fernanda Odilla. 

Having seen corruption up close when living In Brazil during the 2000s and having more recently observed from afar the intersection of the abuse of power in politics and private sector with scandals like the “Operation Car” watch, this book gives me hope that digital technologies, such as social media and artificial intelligence, can prevent, detect and hold corruption to account. Brazil may well be providing critical lessons for policy makers around the world. Available for free as a PDF (linked above).  

Fiction 

Treasure and Dirt, Chris Hammer.  

I love a good thriller and this 2022 book by prolific Australian author and former journalist is set an outback town where police struggle to maintain law and order against the backdrop of mining, corruption and struggles of the rural Australia.  

The Stars My Destination (aka Tiger! Tiger!), Alfred Bester.   

One for the sci-fi lovers, this 1956 classic was part of my book club this year and details a story of revenge set in the 25th Century in a futuristic solar systems where human use teleportation (‘jaunting’). It’s laden with abuses of power by those in authority and lays out some insightful portents for life in the 21st Century. It’s also based consciously on Duma’s The Count of Monte Cristo, which I found out after reading, adding a fascinating layer to the story. Great to listen to as audiobook! 

Prophet Song, Paul Lynch (recommended by Roman Davas-Fahey, Policy and Programs Officer) 

A dystopian novel set in present-day Ireland, slowly descending into chaos after a new right-wing Irish Government imposes emergency powers. Quite a confronting read (after all, descent into authoritarianism in a liberal democracy is no longer as fictional as it once felt), it follows a mother trying to hold her family together after her husband is detained by the police for being a trade unionist and things continue to escalate. Winner of the Booker Prize in 2023. 

And one more – and this one even mentions Transparency International 

The Inheritors, Hannelore Cayre (recommended by Rie Law, Finance Officer) 

One woman dies and another inherits a vast fortune – but the windfall is tainted as she learns exactly how her family amassed such wealth. A cutting take on a centuries-spanning timeline and a family’s exploitation of inequalities through corruption and malice. Also includes a nice mention of Transparency International!