National Anti-Corruption Commission boss Paul Brereton resigns
Australia’s anti-corruption watchdog has been thrown into turmoil after the resignation of its founding commissioner, ending a controversial opening chapter for the integrity body ahead of an upcoming review into its performance.
Paul Brereton, a former army major general, judge and first commissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, submitted his resignation to the governor general on Monday and will step down on July 6, exactly three years after taking office.
Brereton, who previously served as deputy inspector general of the Australian Defense Force and sat on the NSW Court of Appeal, said the continued focus on matters that concerned him personally was an impediment to the commission’s work.
“The continued focus on issues that relate to me personally, rather than on the work of the commission, diverts attention from the commission’s core purpose, which is to strengthen the integrity of the Commonwealth public sector, which has always been my primary focus as a commissioner,” he said.
“While I will continue to resist any suggestion of impropriety, I have decided that now that the commission is established and operates with quality staff and good processes, it is time to step aside and allow a new commissioner to lead the commission into the next phase of establishing it as an important and respected component of the Commonwealth’s integrity architecture.”
He and his fellow commissioners are scheduled to face Senate estimates on Tuesday.
Brereton’s departure comes ahead of a legislative review of the NACC due in 2027 and after a difficult opening period for the body, which was established to restore public confidence in the federal government’s decision-making processes.
The commission came under heavy criticism for its handling of referrals linked to the illegal robo-debt scheme, after initially deciding not to investigate despite receiving more than 1,000 complaints.
Brereton also faced scrutiny over consultancy work he carried out while serving as commissioner of the Australian Defense Force inspector general; This was linked to his previous role leading an investigation into alleged war crimes involving Australian troops in Afghanistan.
In October 2024, NACC investigator Gail Furness found that Brereton was influenced by bias on matters linked to commission referrals and should have distanced himself from the decision-making process and limited his involvement with factual material. The inspector found no intentional mistake or irregularity.
Deputy Commissioner Nicole Rose announced her resignation earlier this month. He is moving abroad and will finish his job in the coming weeks before taking some time off.
In announcing his resignation, Brereton argued that the commission had matured beyond one person and noted the progress made since its establishment, including assessing more than 92 per cent of 7,624 referrals and carrying out investigations across law enforcement, Commonwealth departments and government commercial organisations.
34 investigations are currently ongoing, involving former and current MPs, staff, senior civil servants, contractors, consultants and a grant scheme.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland thanked Brereton for his service and said he had made an “invaluable contribution” to the establishment of the watchdog.
He said the government would now initiate a merit-based process to appoint a new commissioner.
Anthony Whealy, president of the Center for Public Integrity, said public trust in the organization had been tested by ongoing concerns about conflicts of interest, transparency and governance.
He said the controversy surrounding Brereton reinforced why strong institutional safeguards, including findings of bias and ongoing investigations into the handling of conflicts of interest, were so deeply important to public trust.
“We can’t trust the government to choose its own monitors,” he said.
“To restore public confidence in this institution, the NACC now has two vacancies that must be filled following an independent, transparent, merit-based appointment process. Parliament’s oversight role in the process needs to be properly respected. Ideally, we would see legislative reforms introduced to ensure these.”
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Rob Harris is a national correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, based in Canberra. He is a former European correspondent.Connect via email.
