Australia

BEGUN AS a British penal colony, Australia is now one of the most law-abiding nations on earth. Nevertheless, [Page 64]as is the case in many modern societies, the phenomena of corporate, organized, and whitecollar crime have blossomed in recent years, thanks largely to ever-increasing profits. Australia holds an important position in the study of white-collar crime, namely through the work of three Australian scholars: John Braithwaite, Brent Fisse, and Duncan Chappell.

Braithwaite, a professor at Australian National University, pioneered new research and theories in white-collar crime. In his book, Corporate Crime in the Pharmaceutical Industry (1984), Braihwaite reports: “Pharmaceutical companies face great temptations to mislead health authorities about the safety of their products. It is a make-or-break industry. Many companies get virtually all their profits from ...