Corruption watchdog chief concedes he’s a distraction
The first head of Australia’s national corruption watchdog has rejected suggestions he should have been more transparent about links to the defense establishment that led to his resignation.
But National Anti-Corruption Commissioner Paul Brereton admitted the issue had become a distraction.
A day after announcing plans to resign in July after a turbulent three years as commissioner, Mr Brereton said he did not need to give the government further details about his defense ties because it was like asking which church he goes to.
Mr Brereton, who appeared tense at times before the parliamentary inquiry, said questions about his ongoing work with the Inspector General of the Australian Defense Force, one of the agencies the National Anti-Corruption Commission has authority to investigate, were making it difficult for the commission to get some fresh air.
“Every time the chief executive comes here he has to answer questions about me,” he said.
“The media attention is focused on me and my interests.”
Asked whether he should have been more transparent about his ongoing work with the defense inspector general, Mr Brereton said he had made all that was necessary.
“I have been transparent that I have an ongoing relationship with the IGADF and will not be involved (in defense investigations),” he said.
“Neither the CEO nor others needed to know any more than that.
“They don’t need to know whether I go to church on Sunday, or if so which church I go to, or whether I play cricket or rugby on Saturday and what brand of rugby that might be… the exact nature of what I do is beside the point.”
Greens Senator David Shoebridge accused the outgoing commissioner of inappropriately linking his religious affiliation with professional work.
“When you make a false comparison like that, when you treat apples to oranges, can’t you see how it undermines your confidence in your decision-making process?” he said.
Mr Brereton withdrew from all defense-related corruption referrals in 2025 to avoid any perceived conflict of interest after it was revealed that he continued to work as a consultant with the IGADF.
The NACC commissioner said he worked less than 30 hours with the ADF inspector over three years.
A separate investigation into the NACC’s decision not to follow referrals from the royal commission into Robodebt found that Mr Brereton had engaged in officer misconduct by failing to distance himself from the decision-making process despite being influenced by prejudicial bias.
After reconsidering its decision, the commission found that two public officials involved in the Robodebt scandal were involved in serious corrupt activities.
The commissioner was unimpressed by questions about a second ongoing report into his conduct by the NACC investigator, but said he had been given a number of draft versions and had provided his comments in response.
He said the contents of that report were “not at all important” in his decision to resign.
NACC CEO Philip Reed said an outside law firm was brought in at a cost of $204,000 to help respond to the inspector general’s draft report.
Mr Brereton said the finding of misconduct against him had struck fear into other officials at the corruption watchdog.
“We now have a commission where staff are afraid of making any mistakes, whether factual or legal, because they fear they will be visited by officers finding misconduct,” he said.
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