The Fraud and Corruption Against the Commonwealth census – what’s new

The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) Fraud and Corruption Against the Commonwealth census is just around the corner!

Each year, the AIC gathers information in the census that helps build a clearer picture of fraud across government. It’s a key moment on the integrity calendar – a vital opportunity to deepen understanding of the fraud landscape, share valuable data to build a solid evidence base and help shape the government’s response to combat fraud.

This year, the census will open on 25 August 2025 and close 31 October 2025.

What’s new?

In 2025, for the first time, the census will include questions about corruption. This aligns the census to the Commonwealth Fraud and Corruption Control Framework and the National Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2022 (NACC Act).

The expanded scope will provide greater insight into the scale and nature of both fraud and corruption impacting Commonwealth entities, providing a more complete picture of integrity risks.

Entities will be asked to report on fraud and corruption control arrangements, allegations and detections, investigations or other responses, as well as losses and recoveries.

Another key update in 2025 is the alignment of census questions with the new definitions of fraud and corruption, as set out in the Commonwealth Fraud and Corruption Control Framework:

Fraud – dishonestly obtaining (including attempting to obtain) a gain or benefit, or causing a loss or risk of loss, by deception or other means. The conduct does not need to represent a breach of criminal law.

Corruption – in line with the NACC Act, corruption of an entity is any conduct that does or could compromise the integrity, accountability or probity of public administration. This includes:

• any conduct of any person (whether or not a staff member of a Commonwealth agency) that adversely affects, or that could adversely affect, either directly or indirectly:
  • the honest or impartial exercise of any staff member’s powers as a staff member of a Commonwealth agency, or
  • the honest or impartial performance of any public official’s functions or duties as a public official
• any conduct of a staff member of a Commonwealth agency that constitutes or involves a breach of public trust
• any conduct of a staff member of a Commonwealth agency that constitutes, involves or is engaged in for the purpose of abuse of the person’s office
• any conduct of a staff member of a Commonwealth agency, or former staff member of a Commonwealth agency, that constitutes or involves the misuse of information or documents acquired in the person’s capacity as a staff member of a Commonwealth agency.

Who has to complete the census?

Non-corporate Commonwealth entities must complete the census each year. While not mandatory for corporate Commonwealth entities or Commonwealth companies, completing the census is considered best practice and will help build a more comprehensive evidence base of fraud and corruption facing the Commonwealth. 

Support material

More information will be available within the census to help entities respond to census questions. 

You can direct any questions about the census to CommonwealthFraud@aic.gov.au. 

You can also visit the AIC website for previously published results of the fraud census. 

For tools and resources to prevent fraud and corruption, explore our Counter Fraud website and the Corruption prevention and education section of the NACC website. 

Your entity’s participation matters

Your entity’s involvement in the census ensures that we have a strong evidence base to understand the extent of the fraud and corruption problem in the Commonwealth and support investment in prevention. 

Stay tuned for the release! Don’t hesitate to reach out to CommonwealthFraud@aic.gov.au or info@counterfraud.gov.au if you need further support.