From Corruption to Good Governance

act for peace is a signatory to the Uniting Church-led report entitled From Corruption to Good Governance, which was recently launched at Parliament House in Canberra. The report exposes global corruption as a US 1 Trillion dollar industry through which wealthy countries and big businesses, not just developing country governments, are benefiting from at the expense of the poor. It establishes the need for the Australian government to deter foreign bribery by enforcing heavy penalties on those who actively foster corruption and seek to benefit from socially and economically unstable countries.

The report claims governments contribute to global corruption through: 

·        providing tax havens which allow corrupt companies and individuals to avoid paying their fair share of tax;

·        inadequate banking laws that allow money laundering of stolen funds;

·        failing to assist developing countries to recover funds stolen through corruption that are then deposited ‘safely’ in wealthy countries;

·        failing to deal severely with bribery and, in some cases, even allowing companies to claim bribes as tax deductions; and

·        making loans to corrupt governments for unproductive purposes, saddling developing country communities with the repayments of debts from which they have had no benefit.

The Christian faith and tradition has a long history of condemning corruption and calling for those in authority to act justly and fairly. However, the report also acknowledges that both churches and those calling themselves Christian have at times throughout history participated in and facilitated corruption, both within the churches themselves and in the wider community.

act for peace strongly supports the main points of the report and recognises that human rights abuses and corruption go hand in hand. The poverty cycle can only be effectively broken if global corruption is dealt with, paving the way for a culture of good governance.