Code of Professional Ethics
ACS’ Code of Professional Ethics drives ethical and professional member behaviours and decision-making across rapidly changing technology environments.
A breach of this Code by a member may result in a disciplinary process under the ACS Complaint Procedure.
Our values are:
Honesty
Trustworthiness
Respect
This Code expands on the behaviours that support these values.
Let us know if you have feedback/questions on the Code of Professional Ethics - email professionalethics@acs.org.au.
Ethics Education Program
The ACS Ethics Education Program is an online learning program designed to help ACS members understand the core values of honesty, trustworthiness, and respect, and learn how to apply them in real-world scenarios.
The program explores various dimensions of ethical responsibilities and delves deeply into specialist areas like AI and cybersecurity ethics, data privacy, and professional conduct. Click here to read more about the Ethics Education Program and explore case studies that demonstrate the ACS Code of Professional Ethics in practice.
Case studies
To help all IT professionals understand and implement the ACS Code of Professional Ethics, case studies are available to download.
The answer to an ethical dilemma is not always clear cut, which these case studies illustrate. The ACS Code of Professional Ethics provides guiding principles and values that inform ethical behaviour, but you also need to be mindful of any laws or regulations governing your situation.
Acknowledgement: These sample case studies are derived from actual cases that are documented in the 2019 CSIRO Discussion Paper “Artificial Intelligence: Australia’s Ethics Framework”
The ACS Code of Professional Conduct
As members, we must act in accordance with the values and standards in the ACS Codes; doing so empowers us to build confidence, credibility and professional reputation.
[Code Under review]
The ACS Complaint Procedure
Transparency is key to our professionalism. The ACS Complaint Procedure ensures members are accountable for their behaviour and professional service delivery.
Anyone can lodge a complaint against an ACS member – you can do so by submitting a written complaint using the prescribed Complaint Summary Form in the ACS’ Complaint Procedure, at the link below, ensure all:
- sections of the Complaint Summary Form are completed
- requested evidence supporting the complaint is enclosed
A substantiated complaint is referred to ACS’ Disciplinary Committee for resolution that can include sanctions. In some circumstances a member can appeal a Disciplinary Committee decision.
Let us know if you have questions, suggestions or feedback regarding the complaint or disciplinary processes, please email ceo@acs.org.au