Under the ICAC Act 2012, 'public officers' can include:
- members of the South Australian Parliament
- members of the South Australian judiciary
- South Australia Police officers
- public service employees
- Councillors (elected members of local governments)
- council employees
- contractors performing work for a public authority or the Crown.
If you work for a government body, you might be a public officer.
Your obligations
If you are a public officer, you have an obligation to report suspected corruption to the OPI. You are encouraged to also report misconduct and maladministration.
It's not important to know exactly what category the conduct falls into - but it's important to report the conduct if you think it's not right.
If you're not sure, contact the OPI.
Learn more about your reporting obligations.
What does the law say?
The ICAC Act lists all public officers and public authorities covered by these obligations. The OPI Directions and Guidelines also include this list.
| Public officers | Public authority | Minister |
|---|---|---|
| Governor | Attorney-General | Premier |
| a person appointed to an office by the Governor | Governor Attorney-General | Premier |
| a Member of the Legislative Council an officer of the Legislative Council a person under the separate control of the President of the Legislative Council | Legislative Council | |
| a Member of the House of Assembly an officer of the House of Assembly a person under the separate control of the Speaker of the House of Assembly | House of Assembly | |
| a member of the joint parliamentary service | Joint Parliamentary Service Committee |
| Public officers | Public authority | Minister |
|---|---|---|
| the principal officer of a judicial body a judicial officer that constitutes a judicial body | Attorney-General | Premier |
| a judicial officer (other than a judicial officer who is the principal officer of a judicial body or who constitutes a judicial body) | the principal officer of the judicial body of which the judicial officer is a member Attorney-General | Premier |
| a member of the staff of the State Courts Administration Council | State Courts Administration Council | Attorney-General |
| Public officers | Public authority | Minister |
|---|---|---|
| a person who constitutes a statutory authority or who is a statutory office holder | the Minister responsible for the administration of the Act under which the statutory authority is constituted or the statutory office holder is appointed | Premier |
a person who is a member of the governing body of a statutory authority an officer or employee of a statutory authority or statutory office holder, or Public Service employee assigned to assist the statutory authority or statutory office holder | the statutory authority or statutory office holder | the Minister responsible for the administration of the Act under which the statutory authority is constituted or the statutory office holder is appointed |
| Public officers | Public authority | Minister |
|---|---|---|
| the chief executive of an administrative unit of the public service | the Minister responsible for the administrative unit | Premier |
| a public service employee (other than a chief executive) | the chief executive of the administrative unit in which the employee is employed | the Minister responsible for the administrative unit |
| Public officers | Public authority | Minister |
|---|---|---|
a member of a local government body an officer or employee of a local government body | the local government body | the Minister responsible for the administration of the Local Government Act 1999. |
| the Local Government Association of South Australia | the Minister responsible for the administration of the Local Government Act 1999 | Premier |
| a person who is a member of the governing body of the Local Government Association of South Australia an officer or employee of the Local Government Association of South Australia | the Local Government Association of South Australia | the Minister responsible for the administration of the Local Government Act 1999. |
What if I'm not sure?
In some cases, you might not be sure if you are considered a public officer.
If you're not sure, contact the OPI.
