1. What is the legal framework governing bribery in
Australia?
The legal framework governing bribery in Australia exists at
both a federal (national) level, and at the level of each of
Australia’s six states and two territories.
Australia’s federal bribery laws generally deal with
bribery connected with public officials, whereas its state and
territory laws apply to both bribery of public officials, and
private or commercial bribery. These laws exist at statute and in
common law.
At the federal level, the key piece of legislation is the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) (Criminal Code).
The Criminal Code contains provisions relating to, among other
things, the bribery of foreign public officials and the bribery of
Commonwealth public officials.
