PART 2 | IPAA ACT national president Andrew Metcalfe says the future strength of Australia’s public institutions will be determined by the choices public servants make every day.
In this second part of his article, Andrew Metcalfe shifts to practical applications, examining how values are tested in real-world crises, leadership culture, and stewardship.
The real test of values comes when circumstances become difficult.
Ethical failures seldom begin with deliberate wrongdoing. More often, they emerge through inaction, complacency, or the gradual normalisation of poor decisions. Individuals fail to question assumptions, escalate concerns, or convince themselves someone else will deal with the problem.
One of the clearest examples from my own experience was the Vivian Solon case.