Help & support
It is recognised that bribery and corruption have an adverse effect on communities wherever they occur. Bribery and corruption has the ability to impede economic growth and undermine accountability, threaten laws, democratic processes and basic human freedoms, impoverishing states and distorting free trade and competition. Corruption is often associated with organised crime, money laundering and, on occasions, the financing of terrorism.
We have zero tolerance for bribery and corruption and are committed to identifying and preventing bribery and corruption through the implementation of a robust AB&C compliance programme.
Our Anti-bribery and corruption (AB&C) Policy supports our zero appetite towards bribery, corruption and facilitation payments.
Our Policy serves as a single and consistent AB&C benchmark across the Group. It is designed to comply with the Australian Criminal Code Act 1995, the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act 1977, the UK Bribery Act 2010 and all other AB&C related laws relevant to the locations in which the Group operates.
Amongst the key principles of the Policy, it should be noted that:
The Policy principles extend to all employees, Directors, temporary staff, contractors, suppliers, service providers, agents and other third parties acting for or on behalf of the Group.
Our Gifts and Entertainment Policy and Procedures seek to ensure that employees do not offer or receive gifts or entertainment which could be seen as being inappropriate, constitute a breach of applicable regulatory obligations, and/or otherwise give rise to actual, perceived or potential conflicts of interest.
Sanctions are measures used by national governments, supranational bodies and international organisations to support national security interests and/or advance foreign policy objectives. The requirements of different sanctions regimes will often vary depending on the government or body administering them, their intended aims, and the individuals, groups, vessels and entities they target. However, measures commonly imposed include the following:
We are committed to ensuring the financial wellbeing of people, businesses and communities by putting in place a number of measures to strengthen the Group’s compliance with applicable sanctions (economic and trade sanctions) regulations. For example, CBA has adopted due diligence measures to identify any sanction risk represented by its customers, transactions, and trade deals.
We have zero appetite towards the facilitation of tax evasion and are committed to preventing this activity.
Our Anti-Tax Evasion Facilitation Policy prohibits the facilitation of tax evasion, which applies to all employees, directors and contractors of the bank. The principles outlined in our Policy also apply to third parties acting or performing services for or on behalf of the Group.
Our Policy requires us to:
We must comply with anti-tax evasion legislation in all jurisdictions we operate in including the UK Criminal Finances Act 2017, which introduced new corporate tax offences that prohibit the facilitation of tax evasion.
We place great importance on fostering a culture that encourages employees and others to speak up about issues or conduct that concerns them. This could be anything from serious misconduct to noticing something which just doesn’t feel quite right.
Sometimes individuals speaking up or making a disclosure may be concerned about being identified, or any potential repercussions which may come from reporting the conduct. This is why we have a comprehensive Group Whistleblower Policy, which is designed to encourage and support individuals to report issues, knowing that it is safe to do so and that they will receive support.
