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A REVIEW of Engineers Australia’s Code of Ethics is generating strong interest across the profession and is set to deliver a major revamp of the existing document.

Led by Rolfe Hartley, a former president of the organisation and now commissioner for ethics and discipline, the review began in November last year when comments were sought from participants at the 2009 National Congress. A draft document and the comments (http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/ethics/) has since attracted “several hundred hits” since being posted online, Hartley says, while comments are also coming via a series of workshops in capital cities.

“People have thought about the draft, they’ve made good comments, and the fact that it’s going to result in a significant mid-term rewrite really reflects that,” Hartley says. “The new draft is going to look radically different, we have tightened it up a lot and the Rules of Conduct will be in a completely separate document.”

A general consensus emerged to retain four core values: public wellbeing, health, safety and sustainability; responsible leadership; personal and professional integrity; and professional competence.

“The feedback has focused on the fact that the code needs to be clear, short and sharp, and clearly articulate the values that we expect engineers to reflect in their day-to-day practice,” Hartley says.

The new draft code will be a one-page document stating the four values with a series of supporting principles. It will be posted online later this month for another round of consultation before a final version is developed for approval by the 2010 National Congress in July.