Latest news with #PaulBrereton
The Guardian
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Nacc architect calls for robodebt investigation update, saying corruption watchdog has been ‘too secretive'
A key architect of the National Anti-Corruption Commission has called for a public update on the investigation into the illegal robodebt scheme, warning community confidence in the watchdog and its commissioner, Paul Brereton, is on the line. The independent MP Helen Haines, who helped craft legislation to establish the Nacc and has sat as a member of a parliamentary oversight committee, said it had been 'too secretive' in the first two years of operations, including over its investigation into the Coalition's welfare payment recovery scheme. As many as 440,000 Centrelink recipients were hounded over alleged incorrect payments, based on faulty income averaging algorithms. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Haines, the MP for the Victorian seat of Indi, said it was disappointing the commission had not provided transparency over its U-turn on a decision to investigate six individuals referred by the robodebt royal commission, after an independent review into its initial refusal. In February, the Nacc said five public servants and one public official would be investigated to determine whether or not they 'engaged in corrupt conduct'. 'It took 11 months for the Nacc to decide it wouldn't take an investigation in the first place,' Haines said. 'Then we really saw a damning report from the Nacc inspector that brought us to this situation where this is being reviewed. It took months to decide really whether that decision would be reconsidered by an independent delegate, and we're now five months since that all happened and we haven't heard any more. So again, that's disappointing.' The Nacc's original decision not to investigate was heavily criticised, with its own watchdog, inspector Gail Furness, revealing she had received more than 1,000 complaints. Furness released a report in October 2024 finding that Brereton was 'affected by apprehended bias' and should have 'removed himself from related decision-making processes and limited his exposure to the relevant factual information'. The report found Brereton had appointed a deputy commissioner as a delegate to decide on the robodebt referrals due to a perceived conflict of interest with one of the individuals who was 'well known to him', which he declared. The Nacc noted the report contained 'no finding of intentional wrongdoing or other impropriety'. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Brereton rejected calls to step down, suggesting 'an error of judgment' did not justify that move. Haines said a public update on the investigation was appropriate, but she stopped short of calling for Brereton to step down. 'We're two years in and I think that the question of robodebt and the transparency around where the commission is at will, I think, determine just how much confidence the public ultimately has in the National Anti-Corruption Commission and in the stewardship of Commissioner Brereton.' Haines made the comments in an interview for Guardian Australia's Australian Politics podcast, released on Friday. The Guardian has contacted the Nacc for response. Last month the Nacc released a report revealing a senior home affairs department official had abused public office and misused internal information to get her future brother-in-law a job, including hiding their relationship and sharing interview questions with her sister. The woman was given a pseudonym and has not publicly commented on the case.
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE This high-ranking Australian official has just been found to be corrupt. Here's the outrageous reason why we're BANNED naming and shaming her - as her sleazy texts emerge and she lands a big new job
The Australian government's corruption watchdog has been slammed for being 'more concerned with protecting wrongdoers than exposing wrongdoing' after Daily Mail Australia was prevented from revealing the identity of a corrupt public official. Almost two years since it was set-up, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) published its first finding of misconduct against a public servant on Monday. The 32-page report revealed a Home Affairs official repeatedly lied to help secure a job for her sister's fiancé, admitting in a series of extraordinary text messages that she would 'talk him through the lie', and even boasting: 'I'm the boss so they will do whatever I say'. The public servant quit before she could be sacked - promptly landing a lucrative role in the private sector - and has faced no punishment for her corrupt conduct. Despite this, the NACC chose not to use her real name out of concern for her 'wellbeing', claiming the 'imperatives of accountability, transparency and education will still be achieved by publishing a detailed report that utilises pseudonyms'. Daily Mail Australia was able to use some of those details to easily work out the corrupt former official's identity, which we intended to reveal as a matter of public interest. But we have been prevented from doing so by an obscure section of the NACC Act, which grants Commissioner Paul Brereton the power to make it a criminal offence to reveal the corrupt official's identity, punishable by up to two years' in prison. Geoffrey Watson KC, Director at the Centre for Public Integrity, said there were valid reasons to make a direction under section 100, such as if children were involved or there was a threat to life. 'There are very good reasons why the NACC should have powers to suppress the identities. But golly, why would they be utilised in this case?', he asked. 'It means that the people involved have escaped really any punishment. And yet NACC thought it was worthwhile spending the taxpayers' resources on pursuing it.' Mr Watson said the NACC 'must have misread transparency to mean opacity, and they must have read accountability to mean no accountability'. The eminent lawyer insisted it was a 'matter of public interest' for the corrupt official's identity to be revealed. 'I might point out that by protecting her name, the people who suffer are the ones employing her now who might be interested that she has a record of abusing her power to do favours for friends and family,' he added. 'That's the sort of thing you might wish to know about somebody before you employ them in a position of responsibility or power.' The NACC, which was founded in July 2023 with a remit to investigate serious or systemic corrupt conduct in government, has 228 staff and $222million over three years. Its report into 'Operation Kingscliff', authored by Mr Brereton, detailed the extraordinary lengths 'Joanne Simeson' - a pseudonym - went to in order to land her sister, Melissa's, soon-to-be husband, Mark, a job. Joanne was found to have praised Mark to colleagues while 'deliberately concealing' her connection to him, before forging a signature to fast-track his onboarding. Mr Brereton said she had abused her office and misused official information, recommending that her position be terminated had she not resigned. 'Nepotism, cronyism and undeclared conflicts of interest in recruitment and promotion is an area of widespread concern,' Mr Brereton stated. She was also found to have leaked interview questions to her Melissa, who still works in the public service. However, the report found no wrongdoing with her Melissa or her now-husband, Mark. 'Talk him through the lie' Joanne, who had worked in the Australian Public Service since 2011, messaged her sister, Melissa, in December 2022 to ask for an updated CV for Mark to be considered for a role in the Freedom of Information section in the Department of Home Affairs. At that point, the couple were living in Varese, northern Italy, where Melissa worked as a coordinator for the Australian Institute of Sport's European training centre, while Mark took a career break and studied. Joanne, who was at that stage a senior official within the Home Affairs Immigration Executive Branch, told her sister the Assistant Secretary was keen to meet Mark. 'We'll talk [Mark] through the lie,' Joanne wrote. Melissa responded: '...he's so bad at lying he's too honest'. Joanne messaged back: 'Well he's gonna have to do better or I'll get in trouble'. Melissa responded: 'Yes good to say that and scare him haha'. The FOI officer application ultimately did not progress because Mark was studying at the time. However, by early 2023, Melissa and Mark were feeling homesick and started to discuss returning to Australia early. In March, Joanne suggested Mark apply for a role alongside her in the Global Initiatives Branch, which Melissa said was 'right up his alley'. 'They will do what I say' Later that month, Joanne copied Mark into an email to two senior directors within Home Affairs to suggest him for the role. But one of the directors responded to ask 'how this person happened on your radar', noting that 'his CV alone does not make him an obvious choice'. Joanne claimed he was a 'friend of a friend'. 'But (he) comes with excellent recommendations and is extremely diligent and hardworking by all accounts, plus ability to pick up subjects extremely quickly and very competent in terms of reviewing documents and providing advice...', she added. Joanne told the NACC she had referred to her future brother-in-law as a 'friend of a friend' because she did not want colleagues to know about their relationship as she was an 'extremely private person'. In a message to her sister, Joanne acknowledged she had been economical with the truth. 'I told them I knew [Mark] through a friend. Technically not not [sic] true he just needs to play along!', she wrote. 'Also I'm the boss so they will do whatever I say.' Joanne told the NACC the message was a 'joke between two sisters'. In a subsequent message, Joanne stressed to Melissa the importance of keeping their relationship secret. 'You are not my sister. He cannot say our surname. Or where you work,' she wrote. Melissa responded: 'the lying is not his strong suit but we will just properly brief him. No [Simeson].' 'Beauty of being a boss' In a subsequent message, Melissa thanked her sister for 'putting yourself on the line for him'. Mark had a meeting with a senior official the following day, which Joanne insisted was not an interview. 'No (it's) a chat,' she responded to her sister. 'I told her to bring him onboard. Beauty of being a boss.' Following the meeting, Melissa reported that it was his 'dream job' and he would 'love to do it'. He was then given clearance to work remotely in Italy before they emigrated back to Australia. Joanne created a recruitment requisition for her brother-in-law, listing herself as an approving delegate before she instructed the HR team to 'please progress (this) as a priority'. The director in charge of hiring told the NACC the process was 'unusual' and had felt like 'a bit of a foregone conclusion'. The director also queried the decision to allow him to work remotely in Italy, claiming there was a 'feeling that it wasn't allowed'. In a subsequent text to her sister, Joanne mentioned getting Mark in to 'meet the team' when they were on a visit back to Australia. 'Just gotta make sure I don't tell people my sister is visiting from Italy at the same time haha,' she added. In May 2023, while preparing for him to visit the office, Joanne forged a witness signature on a temporary access form. 'In her evidence, she admitted to fabricating those aspects of the Temporary Access Form,' the NACC report stated. '(Joanne) said she had never done that before, nor since.' Joanne sent the form on to the security team, requesting it be addressed as a priority due to staffing shortages within the department. But her haste aroused suspicions with one of the directors involved in hiring Mark, who wrote to the other with her concerns. 'I find it a bit unusual that [Joanne] is personally pursuing requirements for this dude in Italy,' the director wrote in a Microsoft Teams message. 'Such a good boy' On May 26, 2023, Mark was formally offered the role with a salary of $101,264. Joanne messaged her sister to ask if this was 'enough', to which she responded: 'it's perfect you're the best. Truly this is a game changer'. He accepted the job three days later and came into the office on 1 June 2023 to collect his laptop and test his log-in. Joanne messaged Melissa: 'HAHAHAHAHA I JUST WENT TO HUG HIM THANK GOD HE STUCK HIS HAND OUT [FIRST]'. Melissa responded: 'GAHAHAHAH … What a good boy he's such a good boy.' Mark told the NACC he found it 'difficult' to have to keep his relationship with Joanne a secret. He worked remotely in Italy from June 5 2023 to October 17, when he and Melissa returned to Australia. During that period, Joanne also helped her sister successfully apply for a role within the Department of Home Affairs, telling her what kind of questions she would be asked at interview and how to answer them. Joanne later admitted that she had provided 'confidential information to her sister to assist her with the interview'. It all unravelled when Mark started working in Canberra and colleagues noticed he did not refer to his partner by name. When one jokingly asked him if she existed, he 'went red'. A superior then asked Mark directly what his relationship was to Joanne, to which he immediately responded: 'I'm engaged to her sister'. The pair then confirmed their relationship when they attended the Home Affairs Christmas party together that year. That same month, Joanne was appointed Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Home Affairs in December 2023. But by that stage an unnamed staff member in the department had raised concerns about the potential conflict of interest and Joanne was stood down in February 2024 pending the outcome of the NACC investigation. She resigned in June of that year, after digital forensic experts combed through her work and personal phones. '[Joanne] explained that she had made the decision to resign from the public service (and take up a more junior position in the private sector), which has resulted in financial loss, including of benefits, and also in the non-fulfilment of her longstanding aspiration to serve her entire career in the public service,' the NACC report stated. 'In addition, her mental health has suffered significantly, and her family members have also suffered as a result of her actions.' Joanne told the NACC she had not received any workplace training or in recruitment and had not obtained any personal advantage from the outcome. But the report noted that Joanne 'accepted the proposed findings and is very remorseful'. The same month she resigned, she started a job at a global cybersecurity firm. In a blog piece she wrote for her new employer in February, Joanne warned of the prevalence of fraud in the hiring process and the importance of ensuring people are who they say they are. She stressed who it was now worryingly common for people to use stolen identities when applying for jobs, especially in tech industries. Daily Mail Australia has approached Joanne for further comment. The NACC report found that neither Mark nor Melissa had engaged in corrupt conduct. Both still work within the public service, according to their LinkedIn profiles. All three deleted their LinkedIn accounts after Joanne was approached for comment. Mr Watson SC, director at the Centre for Public Integrity, also reserved his ire for the apparent triviality of the NACC's first official finding of misconduct, suggesting it should have started with a 'bang, rather than a whimper'. 'Why on earth is the NACC descending into these petty matters? This is an employment issue,' he said. 'The NACC has expensive commercial offices in five capital cities. It has 230 employees and it's producing this sort of triviality. It's just extraordinary.' A spokesperson for the NACC said 'seniority is one of several factors which combined to inform the decision not to name her'. 'Decisions on whether to name an individual involved in a corruption investigation are made on a case-by-case basis,' they added.
The Age
30-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Senior public servant allegedly promoted sister's fiance, forged signature
A senior public servant has allegedly committed corrupt conduct after she promoted her sister's fiance for a high-ranking position in Home Affairs in the first public investigation completed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission in its two years of operation. The NACC alleged the public servant abused her office by promoting her sister's fiance as a candidate for a position in Home Affairs, praising him to colleagues, creating the job requisition, approving it herself and forging a witness signature to fast-track onboarding. The investigation alleged the official did this 'while deliberately concealing the family relationship', and at no point did she disclose the relationship. In a separate incident, the official allegedly provided job interview questions to her sister in advance. The NACC recommended the official's employment be terminated, but she had already resigned. The finding, published on Monday, is the first publicly completed investigation by the NACC since its formation in June 2023. The commission said the conduct was found to be serious because of the public official's seniority and systemic because the behaviours were repeated. Loading NACC commissioner Paul Brereton said the agency had received many referrals about recruitment and promotion in the public service. 'In the 2024 Commonwealth Integrity Survey, public sector employees told us that nepotism and cronyism are among the most frequently observed corrupt behaviours,' he said. '[This case] illustrates systemic risks in APS recruitment. It reinforces the need for strong corruption prevention measures – including mandatory conflict of interest disclosures in all recruitment processes, and prevention of improper disclosures of official information.'
Sydney Morning Herald
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Senior public servant allegedly promoted sister's fiance, forged signature
A senior public servant has allegedly committed corrupt conduct after she promoted her sister's fiance for a high-ranking position in Home Affairs in the first public investigation completed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission in its two years of operation. The NACC alleged the public servant abused her office by promoting her sister's fiance as a candidate for a position in Home Affairs, praising him to colleagues, creating the job requisition, approving it herself and forging a witness signature to fast-track onboarding. The investigation alleged the official did this 'while deliberately concealing the family relationship', and at no point did she disclose the relationship. In a separate incident, the official allegedly provided job interview questions to her sister in advance. The NACC recommended the official's employment be terminated, but she had already resigned. The finding, published on Monday, is the first publicly completed investigation by the NACC since its formation in June 2023. The commission said the conduct was found to be serious because of the public official's seniority and systemic because the behaviours were repeated. Loading NACC commissioner Paul Brereton said the agency had received many referrals about recruitment and promotion in the public service. 'In the 2024 Commonwealth Integrity Survey, public sector employees told us that nepotism and cronyism are among the most frequently observed corrupt behaviours,' he said. '[This case] illustrates systemic risks in APS recruitment. It reinforces the need for strong corruption prevention measures – including mandatory conflict of interest disclosures in all recruitment processes, and prevention of improper disclosures of official information.'
ABC News
26-04-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Anti-corruption watchdog boss Paul Brereton's defence links spark concerns
The federal anti-corruption commissioner's ongoing role in the Army Reserves has drawn a fresh round of criticism amid concerns he continues to regularly attend military functions in full uniform, including camouflage. While the NACC investigates allegations of corruption in the Australian Defence Force, its head, Paul Brereton, holds the rank of major general in the Army Reserve and has attended at least seven functions in uniform since being appointed the inaugural commissioner of the federal watchdog. A NACC spokesperson told the ABC Mr Brereton's decision to occasionally wear military dress "out of hours" is appropriate and "does not compromise" the commissioner's ability to expose misconduct in defence. While there's no suggestion of wrongdoing on Mr Brereton's part, crossbench senators and members of parliament say details of his attendance at military functions have strengthened their concerns about his ability to manage perceptions of conflict-of-interest issues involving the ADF. Photo shows A close shot of Brereton, who is sitting in the offices of the new national anti--corruption commission The head of the National Anti-Corruption Commission continues to hold senior roles in the Army Reserves six months after a misconduct finding was made against him. "Confidence in the commissioner's capacity to fulfil his function in the NACC would be enhanced, in my view, if Commissioner Brereton fully retired from his roles in defence," Independent MP Helen Haines said. NACC officials told a budget estimates hearing last month that Mr Brereton's position in the reserves was honorary, "not in the command structure", and "akin to an emeritus professor". But several questions — such as whether he was continuing to wear uniform or had access to military facilities — were taken on notice. Transparency expert Geoffrey Watson SC has told the ABC even symbolic ties such as wearing uniform can raise perception concerns, particularly in roles involving oversight. In March, "The commissioner has appropriately remained involved in decision making and deliberations where the matter does not involve the interests of an individual or unit with whom he has or has had a close association," a NACC spokesperson said at the time. Brereton's military ties spark impartiality questions Photos publicly posted on the official Facebook pages of the NSW regiments of which Mr Brereton is aligned, have prompted several crossbenchers to ramp up their calls for the commissioner to step aside from his defence positions. On August 18, 2024, Mr Brereton was pictured wearing what is known as "cams" or camouflage uniform while delivering a presentation at the 2024 Regimental Weekend in the nation's capital. The rank of major general is visible on his arm and the screen behind him indicates the seminar is about generating war fighting capabilities. In photos posted to the Royal New South Wales Regiment Facebook page on March 1 of this year, Mr Brereton was pictured as a guest of honour at a dinner in Sydney wearing what is known as "senior mess dress" according to the Army Dress Manual. Paul Brereton pictured at an event in March 2025. ( Supplied: Facebook ) Another photo posted on the 23rd August 2024, seen by the ABC, showed Mr Brereton wearing the same uniform alongside the NSW Governor Margaret Beazley in Canberra. Both events marked the Royal New South Wales Regiment's involvement in Sudan in 1885. Mr Brereton remains an honorary colonel in this unit. On November 27, 2024, Mr Brereton appeared in the same dress uniform delivering a speech during the dinner at the Battalion Ball and Leadership weekend in Canberra. The previous year, on November 30, 2023, Mr Brereton was pictured wearing what is known as "pollies" or polyester 'general duty dress', in which he is seen putting new rank slides on an officer's shoulder. The army's official dress manual says this uniform is "more appropriate in the office environment" and "not to be worn" during ceremonial events or representational appointments. At different events in September 2023 and August 2023, Mr Brereton was also photographed as a special guest at army reserves events. The NACC came into effect in July of that year. Brereton appears in polyester general duty dress putting new rank slides on an officer. ( Supplied: Facebook ) A NACC spokesperson confirmed Mr Brereton continues to participate in events as an honorary colonel commandant of the Royal New South Wales Regiment and University of New South Wales Regiment. "He occasionally, on weekends or holidays or out-of-hours, visits and participates in ceremonial and regimental activities in that capacity, and appropriately wears uniform when doing so in accordance with that ceremonial function," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said the role doesn't compromise the commissioner's full-time commitment to the NACC, nor his ability to investigate and expose misconduct in defence impartially and independently. Mr Brereton, a former NSW Supreme Court Judge, was a major general in the reserves when he was appointed by the inspector general of the ADF to inquire into allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. His report published in 2020 that found credible information that war crimes had occurred was a landmark decision and prompted the establishment of an office of special investigations to examine specific alleged crimes. Calls intensify for Brereton to step aside from Reserves In October last year, Mr Brereton was found by NACC inspector Gail Furness to have mishandled a conflict of interest by failing to fully recuse himself from deliberations on whether to investigate six officials implicated in the unlawful Robodebt scheme, despite disclosing a close connection to one of those involved. The watchdog inspector subsequently examined the NACC's handling of the referral and its decision not to pursue an investigation into the public servants. Paul Brereton at an event in November 2024. ( Supplied: Facebook ) While the inspector found no evidence of deliberate misconduct by Mr Brereton, it noted that, although he had delegated the final decision, his involvement in the discussions remained "comprehensive." Following this review, the NACC has since opted to investigate the six individuals initially referred to the body, reversing its earlier decision. Asked how Mr Brereton handles any issues related to his service in the Army Reserve, a NACC spokesperson said if any perceived or actual conflicts arise relating to "an individual or unit with whom he has served or had a close association … he declares the conflict, delegates the matter to a deputy commissioner, and does not participate in deliberations". Senators David Pocock, Jacqui Lambie and David Shoebridge – already unhappy with the way the government set up the NACC, choosing not to hold public hearings except in extraordinary circumstances – have ramped up their criticisms of Mr Brereton. "On that broader issue of the credibility of the NACC, a lot has to change and I think that's got to start with some leadership at the top," Senator Pocock said. Independent Senator David Pocock says it's time for Paul Brereton to go. ( Australian Story: Matt Roberts ) Senator Lambie said the situation was unsatisfactory and a blight on the government. "Paul Brereton is running around in uniform — not just in mess dress but camouflage uniform," she said. "He's playing major general and he's playing in charge of the NACC — this is absolutely ridiculous. The Labor party knew this from day one." Documents released under a freedom of information request reveal Mr Brereton spoke for 30 minutes on the first day of a two-day Defence Integrity Conference at the Australian Defence Force Academy on November 12 last year. Paul Brereton at an event in September 2023. ( Supplied: Facebook ) Budget estimates also heard Mr Brereton took two days of annual leave to give a talk at an ADF facility in the Blue Mountains earlier this year with the watchdog's CEO taking questions on notice about whether Mr Brereton wore a defence uniform to that event. Integrity expert Geoffrey Watson told the ABC Mr Brereton should not have anything to do with probes regarding allegations of corruption in the Department of Defence. "It's time for Mr Brereton to address the obvious. He should resign from the military and stand aside from any investigation involving defence," he said. Geoffrey Watson says Paul Brereton must "address the obvious" and "step aside". ( ABC News: Sissy Reyes ) Broader debate over NACC credibility continues As the watchdog nears its second birthday on July 1, NACC representatives told a Senate estimates hearing that none of the seven inquiries it had completed by the commission — nor the 33 ongoing investigations — have been deemed worthy of a public hearing. Greens Senator David Shoebridge sought clarification from the integrity watchdog at the March budget estimates session about why none had reached that threshold: "So there are 40. Zero out of 40 were found to have exceptional circumstances?" he asked. To which Philip Reed, NACC chief executive, responded: "That's correct." Independent crossbenchers have previously told the ABC they will push to make the integrity watchdog more transparent and hold more public hearings in the event of a hung parliament after the May 3 election. They contend the Albanese government was elected on the promise of delivering a transparent anti-corruption body with teeth and instead created a body that operates almost entirely in secret. With the federal poll due on May 3, independent crossbenchers have told the ABC they will push whoever forms government to unwind legislation so that the body is compelled to hold more public hearings. "We are likely not to see any public hearings. We need to undo that. We need to listen to our community and our experts and I think that's a job for the next parliament," Senator Pocock said. Paul Brereton at an event in September 2023. ( Supplied: Facebook ) The Department of Defence refused to answer the ABC's questions about Mr Brereton's involvement in the reserves, saying: "the personal information of an ADF member can only be released with the consent of the individual". They are yet to confirm whether he continues to have access to army messes or had taken an oath of service that requires obedience with orders and directions.
