Integrity, ethics and performance
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Queensland’s public servants are guided by the Public Sector Ethics Act 1994 and the Code of conduct for the Queensland public service.
The principles outlined in the Public Sector Ethics Act 1994 are fundamental to good public administration and are at the core of the work of Queensland public servants. These principles include:
- integrity and impartiality
- promoting the public good
- commitment to the system of government
- accountability and transparency.
The Code of conduct for the Queensland public service codifies the Public Sector Ethics Act 1994 by guiding employees in understanding how to put the principles and values of the Public Sector Act 2022 into practice.
Misconduct as outlined in this legislation speaks to the preventative mechanisms needed to encourage ethical behaviour as well as the forms of misconduct that are not tolerated in the Queensland public sector.
Discussing misconduct, knowing how to report misconduct and understanding what misconduct is are critical to ensuring the performance of the sector aligns with the principles of the Public Sector Ethics Act 1994.
Legislation also highlights the zero tolerance the sector has towards behaviours such as workplace bullying, sexual harassment, racism and any form of discrimination.
Ethics and integrity
Questions associated with recognising ethical behaviour and knowing how to report unethical behaviour have remained relatively stable and high over time.
The questions associated with confidence in the management of unethical behaviour and discussions of appropriate and ethical behaviour in the workplace have improved between 2023 and 2024.
The Queensland public sector is committed to the delivery of a world class public sector. A key element of this commitment is the delivery of excellence in public administration and exemplary delivery of the principles and behaviours outlined in the Public Sector Ethics Act 1994 and the Code of conduct for the Queensland public service.
Leadership in ethics and integrity
Ethics and integrity must be embedded in the culture of organisations. Leadership plays a critical role in bringing discussions of ethics and integrity to the forefront of organisational discourse as well as in modelling desired behaviours.
Individual contributor perceptions of honesty and integrity
In the public sector, an individual contributor is someone who reports to others but does not manage other. The perceptions of individual contributors regarding the honesty and integrity of their manager, senior manager and executive group have each improved over the past three years.
Between 2022 and 2024 individual contributor perceptions of the honesty and integrity of their:
- manager or supervisor increased from 79% to 82%
- senior managers increased from 55% to 61%
- executive group increased from 46% to 53%.
Team leader perceptions of honesty and integrity
Perceptions of team leaders relating to the honesty and integrity of organisational leaders have also improved.
Between 2022 and 2024 team leader perceptions of the honesty and integrity of their:
- manager or supervisor increased from 80% to 83%
- senior managers increased from 56% to 61%
- executive group increased from 44% to 51%.
As with individual contributors and team leaders, the positive perceptions of program leaders associated with the honesty and integrity of their leaders have also increased.
Between 2022 and 2024 program leader perceptions of the honesty and integrity of their:
- manager or supervisor increased from 86% to 88%
- senior manager increased from 70% to 75%
- executive group increased from 54% to 62%.
Program leader perceptions of honesty and integrity
Bullying
Information relating to the experience of bullying has remained relatively stable over the past two years.
For people who have experienced bullying, 13% submitted a formal complaint.
Of interest are the new questions in the WfQ survey about the extent to which the process of submitting a complaint is fair, transparent and respectful as well as knowing or understanding the outcomes.
The processes and communications around formal reporting are an opportunity for improvement:
- 23% of respondents felt that the process for formal reporting bullying was fair
- 22% of respondents felt that the process for formal reporting bullying was transparent
- 30% of respondents felt that the process for formal reporting bullying was respectful.
Thirty-four percent of respondents who had been bullied and formally reported were informed of the outcome or resolution of the process
| During the last 12 months, have you experienced workplace bullying? | 2024 Count | 2024 % | 2023 Count | 2023 % | 2022 Count | 2022 % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes, and I am currently experiencing this behaviour | 2,872 | 5% | 3,430 | 6% | 4,378 | 6% |
| Yes, but I am not experiencing it now | 6,139 | 10% | 6,513 | 11% | 9,373 | 12% |
| No | 47,832 | 80% | 47,350 | 78% | 58,798 | 78% |
| Don't know | 3,047 | 5% | 3,114 | 5% | 2,794 | 4% |
| Who were you bullied by? | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A senior manager | 28% | 29% | 29% |
| Your immediate manager/supervisor | 32% | 33% | 33% |
| A colleague | 37% | 38% | 40% |
| A group of colleagues | 14% | 15% | 16% |
| A worker that reports to you | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| A consultant/service provider | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| A representative of another agency | 2% | 2% | 1% |
| A person in a Ministerial Office | 0% | 0% | 1% |
| Other | 4% | 4% | 4% |
| Prefer not to specify | 11% | 10% | 10% |
| What type of bullying did you experience? | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical behaviour (e.g. assault or aggressive body language) | 8% | 8% | 8% |
| Verbal abuse (e.g. offensive language, derogatory remarks, shouting or screaming) | 45% | 43% | 44% |
| Intimidation and/or threats | 35% | 38% | 40% |
| 'Initiations' or pranks | 4% | 4% | 5% |
| Interference with your personal property or work equipment | 7% | 7% | 7% |
| Inappropriate and unfair application of work policies or rules (e.g. performance management, access to leave, access to learning and development) | 35% | 38% | 38% |
| Withholding essential information for me to do my job | 34% | 33% | 31% |
| Being assigned meaningless tasks unrelated to my job | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| Being given impossible assignment(s) | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| Cyber bullying (e.g. by email) | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| Other | 28% | 30% | 28% |
| Did you report the bullying or tell someone about the bullying? | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Submitted a formal complaint | 13% | 11% | 11% |
| Told a colleague | 34% | 36% | 36% |
| Told a manager | 46% | 45% | 42% |
| Told human resources | 11% | 11% | 10% |
| Told a friend or family member | 30% | 33% | 32% |
| Told someone else | 13% | 15% | 14% |
| Told Employee Assistance Program or peer support | 8% | 8% | 7% |
| Told the person the behaviour was not OK | 15% | 15% | 15% |
| I did not tell anyone about bullying | 14% | 15% | 18% |
| What is preventing you from formally reporting this experience? | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| I did not want to upset relationships in the workplace | 36% | 36% | 36% |
| I did not have enough evidence | 17% | 16% | 16% |
| It could affect my career | 38% | 40% | 38% |
| I did not think any action would be taken | 53% | 54% | 54% |
| The matter was resolved informally | 12% | 11% | 11% |
| I did not think the bullying was serious enough | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| Managers accepted the behaviour | 35% | 38% | 36% |
| I did not think it was worth the hassle of going through the report process | 28% | 30% | 31% |
| I did not know how to report it | 4% | 4% | 4% |
| Other | 13% | 13% | 13% |
| To what extent do you agree that the process of formal reporting was: | Responses | Unfavourable | Neutral | Favourable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | 1,104 | 58% | 19% | 23% |
| Transparent | 1,098 | 59% | 19% | 22% |
| Respectful | 1,098 | 48% | 22% | 30% |
| Were you informed that action had been taken or an outcome/resolution had been achieved as a result of reporting your experience of bullying? | 2024 Responses | 2024 % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 374 | 34% |
| No | 717 | 66% |
Source: WfQ 2022—2024.
Sexual harassment
Instances of sexual harassment have decreased since 2022.
As in the case of bullying, and because of requirements of the sexual harassment directive, the reporting process is of particular interest.
The perceptions of people who had experienced sexual harassment and formally reported were more positive than those that had experienced bullying.
The processes and communications around formal reporting are an opportunity for improvement:
- 51% of respondents felt that the process for formal reporting sexual harassment was fair
- 47% of respondents felt that the process for formal reporting sexual harassment was transparent
- 53% of respondents felt that the process for formal reporting sexual harassment was respectful.
Fifty-three percent of respondents who had been sexually harassed and formally reported were informed of the outcome or resolution of the process.
| During the last 12 months, have you experienced sexual harassment | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes, and I am currently experiencing this behaviour | 0.35% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| Yes, but I am not experiencing it now | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| No | 96% | 96% | 96% |
| Don't know | 2% | 2% | 1% |
| Who were you sexually harassed by? | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A senior manager | 13% | 14% | 14% |
| Your immediate manager/supervisor | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| A colleague | 45% | 45% | 43% |
| A group of colleagues | 7% | 9% | 9% |
| A worker that reports to you | 3% | 3% | 2% |
| A client/customer | 24% | 21% | 26% |
| A member of the public | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| A consultant/service provider | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| A representative of another agency | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| A person in a Ministerial Office | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Other | 3% | 4% | 5% |
| Prefer not to specify | 9% | 11% | 10% |
| What type of sexual harassment did you experience? | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sexually suggestive comments or jokes that made me feel offended (in either a group or one-on-one situation) | 71% | 69% | 73% |
| Intrusive questions about my private life or comments about my physical appearance | 57% | 53% | 53% |
| Unwelcome touching, hugging, cornering or kissing | 25% | 27% | 29% |
| Inappropriate physical contact (including momentary or brief physical contact) | 30% | 29% | 29% |
| Repeated or inappropriate invitations to go out on dates | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| Sexual gestures, indecent exposure or inappropriate display of the body | 15% | 15% | 15% |
| Repeated or inappropriate advances on email, social networking websites or internet chat rooms by a work colleague | 6% | 7% | 8% |
| Sexually explicit email or SMS message | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| Request or pressure for sex or other sexual act | 6% | 5% | 6% |
| Sexually explicit pictures, posters or gifts that made me feel offended | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Sexually explicit posts or messages on social media (including Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram etc.) | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| Inappropriate staring or leering that made me feel intimidated | 24% | 23% | 23% |
| The workplace is sexually hostile including discussions or jokes that are of a sexual nature or the display of obscene or pornographic materials | 9% | 11% | 10% |
| Any other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| Did you tell anyone about the sexual harassment? | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Submitted a formal complaint | 16% | 13% | 11% |
| Told a colleague | 36% | 36% | 38% |
| Told a manager | 31% | 29% | 26% |
| Told Human Resources | 7% | 7% | 5% |
| Told a friend or family member | 27% | 30% | 27% |
| Told someone else | 10% | 11% | 11% |
| Told Employee Assistance Program or peer support | 4% | 4% | 3% |
| Told the person the behaviour was not OK | 22% | 17% | 24% |
| I did not tell anyone about the sexual harassment | 19% | 24% | 25% |
| You indicated that you have not formally reported your experience of sexual harassment. What is preventing you from reporting this experience? | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| I did not want to upset relationships in the workplace | 32% | 31% | 23% |
| I did not have enough evidence | 18% | 15% | 15% |
| It could affect my career | 26% | 30% | 27% |
| I did not think any action would be taken | 44% | 44% | 44% |
| The matter was resolved informally | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| I did not think the sexual harassment was serious enough | 23% | 22% | 18% |
| Managers accepted the behaviour | 21% | 20% | 19% |
| I did not think it was worth the hassle of going through the report process | 31% | 33% | 32% |
| I did not know how to report it | 4% | 5% | 5% |
| Other | 13% | 13% | 13% |
| To what extent do you agree that the process of formal reporting was: | Responses | Unfavourable | Neutral | Favourable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | 209 | 34% | 15% | 51% |
| Transparent | 205 | 41% | 12% | 47% |
| Respectful | 206 | 33% | 14% | 53% |
| Were you informed that action had been taken or an outcome/resolution had been achieved as a result of reporting your experience of sexual harassment? | 2024 Responses | 2024 % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 111 | 53% |
| No | 98 | 47% |
Racism and discrimination
The experience of racism and discrimination has declined slightly between 2022 and 2024, with a one percentage point decrease in WfQ respondents indicating they had been subjected to racism, discrimination because of sexual orientation, discrimination because of gender and discrimination because of age.
Conduct and performance data
Data on conduct and performance matters shows that only a small proportion of the workforce was reported for the most serious breach of conduct.
Between 2019 and 2024, this proportion only fluctuated between 0.09% to 0.15%.
Matters are assigned a category under the conduct and performance excellence (CaPE) categorisation framework 8.
| 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category 2 | 2006 | 2150 | 2794 | 2424 | 1932 |
| Category 3(a) | 1469 | 1572 | 7909 | 2703 | 1407 |
| Category 3(b) | 321 | 251 | 212 | 337 | 340 |
| Total | 3796 | 3973 | 10915* | 5464^ | 3679# |
Source: Queensland public sector conduct and performance data 2019–2024. * Non-compliance with COVID-19 vaccination requirements accounts for 7,371 of the total 10,915 matters in 2021-22. | |||||
The most common outcomes of reported matters in:
- 2019-2020, 2020-2021 and 2023-24 was ‘management action’ followed by ‘no further action’
- 2021–2022 was ‘no further action’ followed by ‘discipline’
- 2022–2023 was ‘discipline’ followed by ‘management action’