CEO of SansGov Matthew Tukaki has called Australia’s political parties into action, stating that a united front is needed to better educate businesses for when operating offshore.
The call comes as revelations emerge surrounding Melbourne-based banknote firm Securency, which is alleged to have offered kickbacks and even supplied prostitutes in the bid to win contracts.
Mr. Tukaki believes that the major political parties must come together and reach an agreement on how to approach international business behaviour otherwise the consequences for Australia will only increase.
“The accusations surrounding Securency are not new and there have been several cases recently where Australian business has been embroiled in corrupt misconduct and illegal dealings.
“We have had the recent case of Stern Hu and Rio Tinto in China and AWB busting UN sanctions in Iraq – each case is dangerous and has broad ranging implications for brand Australia.”
Mr. Tukaki is delivering a speech on the subject at the National Business Leaders Forum held in Parliament House this Thursday, and believes that businesses and their executives need to understand how to behave within the law.
“There is a belief that what we can’t get away with at home, we can get away with overseas and we don’t do enough to monitor our executives and ensure they are doing the right thing”
The case of Securency has highlighted how the problem extends beyond laws and regulations, and rather lies with the lack of education and educational resources available to businesses regarding what is acceptable and the broad-reaching implications of acting inappropriately.
The Australian Government and opposition are currently under heavy pressure to launch an inquiry into the Securency, which is already subject to an investigation by the Federal Police.
It has been alleged that Securency has doled out over $40 million through global commission agents in an attempt to convince certain Asian and African banking officials to replace their paper notes.
“What we need to do is implement a series of business briefings and resources for industry to access so they can better understand how to behave within the law” Mr. Tukaki said.
“We also need tertiary programs strengthened around ethics and include modules around criminal penalties.”
