Engineers Australia has long had a Code of Ethics to guide members in ethical decision making and to provide guidelines for ethical professional conduct. In mid 2009, a comprehensive review of the Code commenced and involved extensive consultation with the membership, ethics experts and representatives of engineering corporations. A series of targeted workshops around Australia involved members directly in developing the Code. A portal was established on the Engineers Australia website which facilitated the discussion of ethical issues via a blog with the Commissioner for Ethics and Discipline. This portal also enabled members to provide direct comment on the draft.

The result has been a new draft Code which provides a clear and succinct expression of the values to which engineers aspire in professional practice, as well as the ethical principles that guide our individual choices and decisions. As well as the new Code, Guidelines on Professional Conduct provide guidance for members of Engineers Australia to use when exercising their professional judgment in the practice of engineering.
This paper will discuss how the new Code of Ethics was developed and will examine its values and principles and how the new Code differs from the previous (2000) edition. Changes to the nature of community expectations and professional practice during that time will be outlined and discussed. Mechanisms by which engineers can be assisted to apply the Code in practice will also be discussed, including Engineers Australia's Ethics Awareness Program and the acknowledgement of reflective ethical practice as an important engineering competency.