Managing conflicts of interest
Public sector employees have a duty to put the public interest
above their private interests when carrying out their official
duties. Conflicts of interest are conflicts between public duties
and private interest. Such conflicts may arise without any one
being at fault. To maintain the highest levels of integrity and
public trust, it is therefore critical that conflicts of interest
are managed effectively.
As well as actual and potential conflicts, it is also a risk if
a third party perceives that a conflict exists. Creating a
perception that VAGO’s impartiality could be compromised can be as
damaging as an actual compromise.
VAGO employees must avoid any actual, potential and perceived
conflicts of interest, to maintain VAGO’s integrity and demonstrate
that VAGO is acting without bias. VAGO has a conflict of interest
policy to guide staff and the organisation in managing conflicts of
interest. This is in line with the Code of Conduct for Victorian
Public Sector Employees and the State Services Authority’s Conflict
of Interest Policy Framework 2009.
One of the ways VAGO manages conflicts of interest is through
declarations of private interests. The following representatives of
VAGO are required to make such declarations:
- The Auditor-General and each executive officer upon
appointment, as circumstances change and annually
- Any employee, contractor or consultant holding a financial
delegation in excess of $25 000
- The Auditor-General may also require a declaration of any other
employee, contractor or consultant engaged in a role where there is
the potential for a conflict of interest to arise, such as where
they are involved in the selection of major tenders.
This policy is also applicable our contract auditors and experts
used in the course of VAGO operations and audits. Contractors sign
a contract which requires notification of any independence issues,
and must confirm in writing annually that they comply with office
policies and procedures on independence.
For more information on how we manage conflicts of interest,
please see our full policy.
Conflict of interest
policy as PDF (96 KB)