Australia’s anti-corruption staff are ‘terrified’ of making mistakes, says outgoing chief
Summary
Australia’s National Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Paul Brereton, said he is resigning due to distractions from two investigations into his conduct. He also stated that staff at the agency are afraid to make mistakes because they fear being accused of misconduct.Key Facts
- Paul Brereton is the outgoing National Anti-Corruption Commissioner in Australia.
- He is stepping down three years into a five-year term because investigations into his conduct are distracting him and the agency.
- Two investigations are ongoing: one concerns his consulting work for the Australian Defence Force Inspector General, and the other involves a separate complaint.
- The first investigation is about his previous role leading an inquiry into alleged war crimes by Australian troops in Afghanistan.
- The agency’s staff are reportedly fearful of making any factual or legal mistakes.
- Brereton denies his standards have fallen below what is expected of an anti-corruption commissioner.
- The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) was criticized for initially not investigating referrals from the robodebt royal commission but later reversed that decision.
- The NACC inspector found a bias problem with Brereton’s involvement in the robodebt case, but no intentional wrongdoing was reported.
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