app-inc-ptPreamble

# app-inc-pt Preamble Preamble > 1 It is essential to the maintenance of public confidence in the integrity of Government that Ministers exhibit and be seen to exhibit the highest standards of probity in the exercise of their offices and that they pursue and be seen to pursue the best interests of the people of New South Wales to the exclusion of any other interest. > 2 Ministers are individually and collectively responsible to the Parliament. Their ultimate responsibility is to the people of New South Wales, to whom they have pledged their loyalty under section 35CA of the [Constitution Act 1902](/view/html/inforce/current/act-1902-032). > 3 Ministers have a responsibility to maintain the public trust that has been placed in them by performing their duties with honesty and integrity, in compliance with the rule of law, and to advance the common good of the people of New South Wales. > 4 Ministers acknowledge that they are also bound by the conventions underpinning responsible Government, including the conventions of Cabinet solidarity and confidentiality. > 5 Ministers also have a responsibility to ensure that they do not act in a way that would place others, including public servants, in a position that would require them to breach the law or their own ethical obligations including those prescribed in the [Government Sector Employment Act 2013](/view/html/inforce/current/act-2013-040). That duty does not, however, limit Ministerial discretion to make decisions and direct departments in accordance with the principle of departmental responsibility to Ministers, including to disagree with advice and recommendations put to them by public servants. > 6 To further those principles, the NSW Ministerial Code of Conduct has been established, which prescribes standards of ethical behaviour and imposes internal governance practices directed toward ensuring that possible breaches of ethical standards are avoided. > 7 The NSW Ministerial Code of Conduct is adopted for the purposes of section 9 of the [Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 1988](/view/html/inforce/current/act-1988-035). The Code also applies to Parliamentary Secretaries. > 8 The Schedule to the NSW Ministerial Code of Conduct prescribes certain additional administrative and governance requirements that Ministers (and in some cases Parliamentary Secretaries) must comply with and that are directed to minimising the risk and opportunities for breaches of the Code. > 9 A substantial breach of the NSW Ministerial Code of Conduct (including a knowing breach of any provision of the Schedule) may constitute corrupt conduct for the purposes of the [Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 1988](/view/html/inforce/current/act-1988-035). > 10 The NSW Ministerial Code of Conduct is not intended to be a comprehensive statement of ethical conduct by Ministers. It is not possible to anticipate and make prescriptive rules for every contingency that might raise an ethical issue for a Minister. In all matters, however, Ministers are expected always to conform with the principles referred to above. > 11 In particular, Ministers have a responsibility to avoid or otherwise manage appropriately conflicts of interest to ensure the maintenance of both the actuality and appearance of Ministerial integrity. > 12 Further, and in addition to the rules set out in this Code, Ministers are subject to a range of civil and criminal laws in their capacity as holders of public office, as well as to standards of conduct applying to them in their capacity as Members of Parliament.