Reflections on the Asia Pacific Integrity School 2025
Vi Nguyen attended the Asia Pacific Integrity School in Brisbane in August 2025. Here, Vi reflects on her experience.
This year I had the privilege of attending the Asia-Pacific Integrity School in Brisbane as part of a scholarship program. Participants from diverse backgrounds came together to explore how we can strengthen integrity systems, fight corruption, and build cultures of accountability. The program was hosted by Griffith University and Transparency International, and featured a lineup of academics, practitioners, integrity commissioners, investigators, and diverse leaders. From formal sessions and workshops to institutional visits, the week gave us an opportunity to see integrity in action.
We heard from experts from Australia, Madagascar, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and beyond. Each brought different perspectives, but the common thread was clear. Corruption is never confined to one country. For me, the course challenged me to reflect on Australia’s own gaps and the risks and challenges we face.
The week began with an orientation which framed the big questions and started with what is corruption? Prof A J Brown highlighted at the start that “Not all corruption is the same”. It set the tone for the course and was a reminder that corruption takes different forms and requires different solutions. We also explored Australia’s three phases of integrity and shared comparative stories from across the region which highlighted the importance of proactive change.
The second day was the official opening ceremony which included a Welcome to Country, followed by speeches from leaders across academia, government, and civil society. Dr Ketakandriana Rafitoson shared her insights and quoted “Corruption is not a national problem; it is a regional and global one. We cannot fight it alone”. This reminded us that corruption is a shared challenge and a collective responsibility. We also heard from Kathryn McMillan KC (CCC QLD) and Iain Anderson (Commonwealth Ombudsman) who shared the dilemmas faced by oversight bodies which were balancing independence, resources, and public expectations. The day closed with insights on how public sector leaders set the tone for integrity.
On the third day, we heard from Prof Peter Coaldrake on the need to “let the sunshine in” by making accountability visible, and from Leah Ambler (NAAC), who reminded us that “trust is as important as powers. Without trust, an anti-corruption commission cannot succeed”. We discussed whole-of-system approaches to integrity, then broke into sessions. Hearing my peers from Indonesia describe their country’s beneficial ownership disclosure regime was confronting. Indonesia has moved ahead with transparency reforms, while Australia still falls behind.
The afternoon session on financial investigations with Conor McGarrity (BDO) highlighted how cross-border cases are increasingly complex. We explored the evolving landscape of financial investigations and learnt how corruption cases increasingly depend on following financial trails that aren’t always straightforward. What stood out was the idea that accountability in financial crime is not just about enforcement after the fact, but about designing systems that are transparent and resilient in the first place.
On day four, we split into groups for some site visits. I attended the Queensland Parliament and the Supreme Court of Queensland. For me, sitting in on question time at Parliament was unforgettable, watching the energy of the room and hearing the differing of opinions voice out. The visit to the Supreme Court of Queensland reinforced for me the judiciary’s role of fairness and integrity.
The final day brought everything together. The focus turned to people. Jane Olsen said something that captured the whole issue of whistleblowing: “If whistleblowers don’t feel safe, the whole system suffers, because the truth stays hidden.” Her words echoed through stories shared by her and Lucy Bowring, which showed how fragile protections are even in Australia. The common thread was clear, unless we make it safe to act with integrity, silence will always feel like the safer option. Prof A J Brown posed a challenging question: who guards the guards? Integrity professionals themselves must also be held to account.
As I return to my own work, I take with me a sharper awareness that integrity must be lived every day, in the decisions we each make and the cultures we build. It is lived in the choices of whistleblowers, regulators, investigators, and all of us as citizens. The Asia-Pacific Integrity School was more than a learning program. It was a reminder of what was embedded from the start, which is not all corruption is the same, and it’s a shared challenge.
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