NACC defends year's work
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The corruption watchdog says its integrity work is messy, controversial, and only just beginning.
The 2024 annual report from the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) (PDF) says it processed over 3,190 referrals in its inaugural year - a majority of which were deemed unfit for further investigation.
The NACC's Commissioner, Paul Brereton, said in his opening to the report that establishing a new anti-corruption body brought challenges, with scrutiny and criticism associated with high-profile decisions.
“Anti-corruption commissions have always generated controversy, and probably always will,” he said, pointing to the dual oversight of the Parliamentary Joint Committee and the Inspector as essential to maintaining accountability.
While acknowledging NACC’s decision not to investigate certain cases, including those associated with the controversial Robodebt scheme, Brereton defended the agency’s discretion.
An independent review led by Inspector Gail Furness found that Brereton exhibited “an error of judgement” by participating in decisions related to a senior official in the Robodebt affair. The review also flagged “officer misconduct” and inaccuracies in NACC’s public communication on potential sanctions.
The decision to refrain from probing Robodebt-related cases provoked public and political reaction.
But Brereton maintains that the decision was in line with the agency’s mandate to focus on cases that meet strict legal and public-interest criteria.
Brereton defended the agency's approach, saying; “We have been committed to carrying out our work in good faith, with integrity and in the public interest.”
In his statement, Brereton reflected on the complexity of anti-corruption work, saying that decisions made in the public interest “will often not be popular”.
He explained that the NACC aims to foster a culture of integrity within the Commonwealth public sector.
Despite a high volume of referrals, only about 10 per cent met the statutory threshold for corruption, while the majority lacked adequate evidence or concerned matters already under other agencies’ scrutiny.
“Although most referrals do not result in an investigation, every referral assists our intelligence-gathering,” Brereton said.
The NACC's workforce expanded from 154 to 220 over the year, with offices opened in Canberra, Brisbane, and Perth.
Additional branches in Sydney and Melbourne reportedly allowed the agency to manage cases across six regional hubs, supported by collaborative frameworks with state and federal counterparts.
Preliminary investigations into potential corruption issues totalled 36, of which only one evolved into a formal corruption investigation.
Of the 26 full investigations initiated, seven were in conjunction with other agencies, and nine were redirected to appropriate authorities for further handling.
The report also detailed the resolution of cases inherited from NACC’s predecessor, the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, three of which concluded with court convictions.
Brereton acknowledged that while the agency's investigative remit has limits, public referrals continue to play a crucial role in directing NACC’s efforts to deter corruption.
Looking forward, the commissioner expressed optimism about the agency's role in bolstering public-sector accountability.