Overview

• The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments will be abolished and its duties split between the prime minister’s independent ethics adviser and the Civil Service Commission.
• A new independent Ethics and Integrity Commission led by Doug Chalmers will oversee integrity across the public sector and report annually to the prime minister.
• Former ministers who seriously breach post-ministerial rules will face financial penalties, including repayment of any severance payments received.
• Exit pay eligibility will be tightened so that those serving less than six months or departing after a code breach forfeit their severance payments.
• All reforms take effect from October as part of a broader drive to centralize ethics oversight and restore public confidence after criticism of the previous watchdog.