G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group Meeting of 2022

The final meeting of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group for 2022, co-chaired by Indonesia and Australia under the Indonesian G20 Presidency, has concluded in Canberra.

The Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus delivered a pre-recorded welcome address to the meeting, which reiterated the essential role that working groups like this play in global efforts to prevent and combat corruption.

Thank you Jannette, for your Welcome to Country.

I would like to acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, on whose lands we are meeting today in Canberra, and pay respect to their Elders past and present.

I extend my respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples present today.

On behalf of the Australian Government, I would like to welcome you to the final G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group meeting for 2022.

I would like to sincerely thank the Indonesian Government for the opportunity to host this event, and for the opportunity to co-chair the Working Group under the Indonesian G20 Presidency this year.

I commend the Indonesian Government on the progress it has made during its G20 Presidency, particularly in this Working Group, to recover from the global pandemic and promote collective action, inclusive collaboration and sustainable growth.

As close friends, neighbours and co-chairs, we look forward to continuing our work to progress our shared G20 priorities under the theme of Recover Together, Recover Stronger.

This Working Group plays an essential role in global efforts to prevent and combat corruption.

Addressing the increasingly sophisticated corruption threats we see across the globe requires a coordinated international approach.

As you all know – corruption, like other crime types, does not start or end at national borders and it is critical that we work together.

Prevention, enforcement and effective international cooperation are our strongest tools to ensure corrupt actors are held to account.

The collective work of this Group to develop new high-level principles and compendia of good practices strengthens international, regional and domestic anti-corruption efforts.

Australia deeply values the efforts of the Working Group. We take our international anti-corruption obligations seriously and are committed to strengthening the integrity of our public institutions and frameworks.

The integrity of Australia’s public institutions lies at the heart of the Australian Government’s capability to deliver social, political and economic outcomes in the public interest.

A key priority for the Government is delivering a powerful, transparent and independent National Anti-Corruption Commission.

Once established, the Commission will be the cornerstone of our agenda to restore public trust and strengthen standards of integrity and accountability in our federal public sector.

Our enhanced domestic anti-corruption architecture reflects our intention to implement our key international anti-corruption obligations, particularly under the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

Alongside our domestic initiatives, we will continue work to strengthen and leverage existing international anti corruption and integrity frameworks, including through the G20, UN agencies, the OECD and APEC.

I would like to again express Australia’s gratitude to our Indonesian colleagues for their work to progress our shared G20 priorities.

This is the third meeting of the Working Group this year and represents the culmination of a significant collective effort to develop coordinated anti-corruption policy. I would like to recognise this important opportunity to further strengthen our global response to corruption.

I wish the Indonesian Presidency and all Working Group members a very productive week ahead.

I look forward to hearing about the outcomes of the meeting ahead of the G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in November, which will be the culmination of the cooperative work carried out across G20 Working Groups, such as this one.

Thank you.