PART 1 | To begin our special Mandarin/IPAA ACT series, national president Andrew Metcalfe examines values and codes of conduct, and the role of ‘frank and fearless’ advice.
After more than four decades working in public administration, I have become increasingly convinced of a simple truth. Institutions do not succeed because of structures. They succeed because of people and values.
And in my many leadership roles, including serving as a Commonwealth departmental secretary for almost 12 years (appointed or reappointed by prime ministers Howard, Rudd, Gillard, Morrison, and Albanese; and dismissed by prime minister Abbott), I have come to one clear conclusion:
Public trust is built when institutions and the people within them operate consistently within a principled ethical framework.