Trust is an important factor in smoothing the way for government to get things done. But publicising public sector integrity failures harms confidence, so how should government balance trust with transparency?

Government should not shy away from transparency when it comes to integrity failures, Victorian Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings told an integrity forum hosted by the Victorian branch of the Institute of Public Administration Australia on Thursday morning.

“I think there will be more horror stories. We have to go through those horror stories as they’re disclosed,” Jennings explained.

Government should be clear “we are not frightened by scrutiny” while making efforts to mitigate against future integrity failures.

“We should embrace it,” the minister said.

Asked what KPIs for ethical leadership would look like, and how it differs from business as usual, Jennings responded that “our mission will be done when leadership as usual satisfies the test.”