Being ethical

Ideas of being professional are often bound up with ideas of being ethical.

Professional groups like doctors, lawyers, psychologists and migration agents have codes of professional ethics. If members of a profession breach their code of ethics, they can be disciplined or banned from working in that profession. For example, financial advisors can have their license revoked. See the Australian Securities and Investment Commission for further information.

While there are different ways of being ethical – and ethical behaviour has a cultural dimension too – it is important to understand what ethical behaviour means in your organisation and industry.