Australia has a zero-tolerance approach to corruption, and this
policy knows no border or nationality. Bribery or attempts to bribe
foreign public officials are considered severe crimes, as mentioned
in division 70 of the Criminal Code Act 1995, which
regroups all the criminal offenses and principles of criminal
responsibility throughout the country.
The latest version of the Criminal Code took effect in September
2024 and features new sections and updates to existing ones per the
2021 Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in
International Business Transactions from the Organizations for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
These modifications are known as the Crimes Legislation
Amendment (Combatting Foreign Bribery) Act 2024 and introduce
the concept of "failure to prevent"
foreign corruption. In this article, we'll explore the law and
its impact on compliance enforcement.
