Australians expect organisations to behave with integrity and accountability. But the new 2026 Australian Governance Index reveals a substantial gap between those expectations and what people believe they're actually seeing, with 43 per cent of Australians saying organisational behaviour has become worse in recent years.

Sean Aylmer speaks with Katrina Horrobin, CEO of the Governance Institute of Australia, and Matt Rowley, partner at strategic advisory firm General Strategic, about what's driving the governance gap, why expectations differ between sectors, and what businesses can actually do about it. They also discuss AI governance, the importance of human judgement, and why organisations need to think beyond their traditional "social licence".

The Governance Institute of Australia is a supporter of Fear & Greed.

Australians expect organisations to behave with integrity and accountability. But the new 2026 Australian Governance Index reveals a substantial gap between those expectations and what people believe they're actually seeing, with 43 per cent of Australians saying organisational behaviour has become worse in recent years. Sean Aylmer speaks with Katrina Horrobin, CEO of the Governance Institute of Australia, and Matt Rowley, partner at strategic advisory firm General Strategic, about what's driving the governance gap, why expectations differ between sectors, and what businesses can actually do about it. They also discuss AI governance, the importance of human judgement, and why organisations need to think beyond their traditional "social licence". The Governance Institute of Australia is a supporter of Fear &amp; Greed.

Business news you can use. A daily business news podcast with journalists Sean Aylmer and Michael Thompson. Find out more at https://fearandgreed.com.au

Business news you can use. A daily business news podcast with journalists <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-aylmer-9922068/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-aylmer-9922068/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1689199223540000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0wu3ezGEfBZFYspJbTTaYL">Sean Aylmer</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcwthompson/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcwthompson/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1689199223540000&amp;usg=AOvVaw08pZ8jZ88rHJgCfbHkTr5k">Michael Thompson</a>.&nbsp;Find out more at&nbsp;<a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/7AmQCOMxmAtl5q0qiE-KY7?domain=fearandgreed.com.au/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/7AmQCOMxmAtl5q0qiE-KY7?domain%3Dfearandgreed.com.au/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1689199223540000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1DLq_FuqjEt3HC-ZK1704H">https://fearandgreed.com.au</a>

Fear and Greed is Australia's most popular business podcast.

FEAR & GREED | Business News

Daily business news for people who make their own decisions, with business journalist Sean Aylmer and Michael Thompson. Find out more at https://fearandgreed.com.au

Daily business news for people who make their own decisions, with business journalist <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-aylmer-9922068/">Sean Aylmer</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcwthompson/">Michael Thompson</a>. Find out more at <a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/7AmQCOMxmAtl5q0qiE-KY7?domain=fearandgreed.com.au/">https://fearandgreed.com.au</a>

Q+A: Australia has a governance gap. Why is it getting worse?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/20eaa493-f9b8-40f1-8585-b4db00be3c52/transcript