An independent survey has been undertaken to find out how people feel about corruption, misconduct and maladministration in councils.

The Local Government Association of South Australia (LGA) has commissioned Adelaide University to conduct the probe into residents’ opinions, which will be funded through South Australia’s Local Government Research and Development Scheme.

The Local Government Association is looking for facts and figures on attitudes toward the conduct of elected officials to inform the state’s new public sector corruption watchdog, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

South Australia’s ICAC was set up by Premier Jay Weatherill to match New South Wales’ ICAC, Western Australia’s Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC), Victoria’s Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) and Queensland’s Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC).

The Local Government Association says the SA ICAC will increase focus on the conduct and actions of officials in the local government sector, and so has commissioned the review to get an up-to-the-minute look at residents education and understanding of what “fraud, corruption and maladministration” mean, as well as the avenues to make allegations.

Adelaide University says it hopes the survey results will allow councils to “foster a robust culture of good governance and zero tolerance of poor behaviour from staff and elected members”.