New national survey findings released today show Australians place significantly more confidence in independent integrity agencies than in politicians, news media or the federal government, and that confidence in these agencies strongly lifts overall trust in our system of government.
Results from the 2025 Australian Constitutional Values Survey (n=1,800) presented today at the national conference Anti-corruption Commissions: Why they are undermined and towards best practice by Griffith University professor and TI Australia chair Professor AJ Brown confirm that trust in integrity bodies is a key driver of institutional trust. Nearly half of all Australians report trusting anti-corruption commissions and other integrity agencies, compared with about one quarter for the federal Parliament, with trust in anti-corruption bodies correlating strongly with overall trust in government.
Awareness is solid but uneven: over 60 per cent of respondents recognise their state’s anti-commission commission agency name, yet only one in four feel they know “a fair amount” or more about it, highlighting a clear opportunity for stronger public-facing education and prevention work.
NSW leads the nation, with around 30 per cent reporting that anti-corruption agencies help make government more trustworthy, and the highest public awareness of any anti-corruption body (ICAC) at 75.4 per cent.
However, Western Australia’s Corruption and Crime Commission is rated by citizens as doing the best job in fighting corruption, with 51 per cent describing it as doing the job well, with Victoria’s IBAC struggling the most of all the nation’s anti-corruption bodies on just 27 per cent.
“Public trust is like a vase. Once it’s broken, you can fix it but the vase will never be same again. So it’s important for anti-corruption commissions to build trust by demonstrating their transparency, responsiveness, and commitment to integrity in operations,” said Clancy Moore, CEO of Transparency International Australia, who also addressed the conference.
“Given the perceived clouds hanging over the NACC, we’d encourage greater use of their extensive education and prevention powers. This includes holding public inquiries, like parliamentary inquiries, on systemic corruption vulnerabilities at the Commonwealth level,” Moore said.
Note: The Australian Constitutional Values Survey was conducted in April 2025 by Griffith University, Bond University, University of Sydney and La Trobe University as part of the Australian Research Council Discovery Project, ‘Mapping & Harnessing Public Trust & Mistrust’, led by TI Australia chair Professor AJ Brown AM.
Professor Brown will present the results today at Anti-corruption Commissions: Why they are undermined and towards best practice hosted by Accountability Round Table, Centre for Public Integrity and Deakin University.
