Australia's anti-corruption chief to face senators after shock resignation
Australia's National Anti-Corruption Commission chief Paul Brereton is due to face senators at estimates hearings after announcing his resignation. The hearing comes as questions intensify over the watchdog's leadership and the handling of conflicts of interest. It is also the first time he is expected to be questioned publicly since confirmation of a second investigation into his conduct.
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Brereton said on Monday that he would finish his term next month, two years early. He said he was stepping aside because the ongoing focus on matters relating to him was drawing attention away from the work of the commission. The latest scrutiny centres on a second "officer misconduct" investigation linked to his undisclosed and ongoing ties to defence.
The resignation follows the departure of his deputy earlier this month, adding to pressure on the three-year-old commission. A group of MPs has called for the body to be reset to restore public confidence, while changes to the way commissioners are appointed are also being discussed. Independent senator David Pocock has repeated his call for a statutory review of the commission to be brought forward.
The case matters because the National Anti-Corruption Commission was created to investigate serious corruption at the federal level and is meant to operate with strong public trust. When the head of such a body becomes the subject of misconduct inquiries, it can affect confidence in the institution's independence and effectiveness. That is why the debate has widened beyond one resignation to the structure and oversight of the commission itself.
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Indi MP Helen Haines, who campaigned for a national anti-corruption body, said the commission had let down the public. She said the focus on the commissioner had overshadowed what she described as the commission's potentially very strong work. She also argued that recruitment for commissioners must be transparent and that conflicts of interest need to be declared and managed clearly.
What remains unclear is how the Senate hearing will shape the next phase of the commission's leadership and whether the calls for a reset will lead to formal changes. It is also not yet clear what the second misconduct investigation will conclude or how quickly a new commissioner could be appointed. For now, the watchdog faces a period of heightened scrutiny while it continues its work under interim pressure.
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