Kevin Rudd’s new code of ministerial conduct is a welcome step in the right direction, but it still falls well short of what is required to restore public confidence in government.

John Howard was the first Prime Minister to introduce a code of conduct in 1996 and we all saw how effective that was.

The trend overseas, driven by the perceived need to address growing public cynicism, is to move towards some form of independent oversighting, such as a statutory integrity or ethics commissioner.

It is not good enough that the head of government remains the umpire, and it is an area in which parliament should take the lead not just on ministerial standards but on the whole range of parliamentary standards with public hearings and regular reports.

Gordon Brown, on taking over from Tony Blair in the UK this year, moved swiftly to address what he identified as a growing chasm between the government and the governed.

His revised ministerial code is explicit in what is required of ministers, and a new independent adviser has been appointed to oversee ministers’ interests, and will publish an annual report. Further, ministers wishing to take up outside appointment on leaving office will be required to consult an Advisory Committee on Business Appointment Rules – a practice that was previously voluntary.

In Canada, the office of Ethics Commissioner has been established to administer the Code of Conduct for Parliamentarians and to advise the Prime Minister on potential conflict of interest as well as administer a post-employment code for public office holders, which interestingly includes political staffers. The Commissioner also administers and advises on the Code of Conduct for Parliamentarians.

Will Kevin Rudd be bold enough to surrender his umpire’s whistle to the parliament or a statutory officer? That would constitute real reform.