Ministers are responsible, both personally and as a group, for the way in which official duties are carried out. The Code of Conduct for Ministers sets out, in clear terms, the expectations the Australian Government has of all its ministers. Ministers also have a special responsibility for ensuring their offices, and the Parliament as a whole, are safe and respectful workplaces.

Key principles

• The ethical standards required of Ministers in Australia's system of government reflect the fact that Ministers are entrusted with considerable privilege and wide discretionary power.
• In recognition that public office is a public trust, the people of Australia are entitled to expect that Ministers will act with due regard for integrity, fairness, accountability, responsibility, and the public interest.
• In carrying out their duties, Ministers must ensure that they act with integrity, observe fairness in making official decisions, and accept they are accountable for the exercise of the powers and functions of their office.
• When taking decisions in, or in connection with, their official capacity, Ministers must act in the public interest.