TI-Australia will be giving evidence at the Melbourne hearing as will a number of TI supporters. TI-Australia agrees with her sentiments and welcomes the latest developments. The movement to combat international grand corruption is gathering pace and 1998 should see the biggest advances yet. The OECD Convention, and the national legislation associated with it, is a major step forward. But no one should see it as the final solution.
Criminalisation needs to be complemented by action in other spheres.
The OECD is still working on issues such as the role of foreign subsidiaries, bribery in relation to foreign political parties and advantages given to persons in anticipation of them becoming foreign public officials. We are hopeful of further significant progress by the May 1999 OECD Ministerial meeting. TI-Australia will continue to help other TI chapters, particularly in developing countries, to play a full role in curbing corruption at home and overseas. Thailand is the latest Asian country where moves to launch a TI chapter have started. There as elsewhere there is widespread agreement that corruption is one of the causes of the current economic and financial crisis.