Gifts, benefits and hospitality

Dairy Food Safety Victoria's (DFSV) gifts, benefits and hospitality policy is intended to support individuals and DFSV to avoid conflicts of interest, maintain high levels of integrity and public trust and behaviour and to support behaviour consistent with the Code of Conduct for Victorian public sector employees and the Code of conduct for directors of Victorian Public Entities.

Requirement to refuse offers of gifts, benefits and hospitality

Individuals are to refuse offers:

• likely to influence them, or be perceived to influence them, in the course of their duties or that raise an actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest;

• could bring them, DFSV or the public sector into disrepute;

• made by a person or organisation about which they will likely make or influence a decision (this also applies to processes involving grants, sponsorship, regulatory, compliance, enforcement or licensing), particularly offers:

made by a DFSV licensee to a DFSV employee;

made by a current or prospective supplier; or

made during a procurement or tender process by a person or organisation involved in the process;

• likely to be a bribe or inducement to make a decision or act in a particular way;

• that extend to their relatives or friends;

• of money, or used in a similar way to money, or something easily converted to money;

• where, in relation to hospitality and events, DFSV will already be sufficiently represented to meet its business needs;

• where acceptance could be perceived as endorsement of a product or service, or acceptance would unfairly advantage the sponsor in future procurement decisions;

• made by a person or organisation with a primary purpose to lobby Ministers, Members of Parliament or public sector organisations; or

• made in secret.

DFSV maintains a register of gifts, benefits and hospitality ($50 or more) offered to individuals.

Please refer to our policy for further information.