A judge and former minister takes the helm
Robert McClelland, Australia's chief law officer in the Rudd government between 2007 and 2011, has been put forward to lead the National Anti-Corruption Commission. He left parliament in 2013, was placed on the federal circuit and family court by the former Coalition government in 2015, and has held the post of deputy chief justice there since 2018. Christopher Savundra, who directs enforcement and compliance at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, is the nominee for deputy commissioner.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5]
Attorney General Michelle Rowland announced the two nominations, stating that McClelland was picked through a selection process that was open, competitive and based on merit. According to Rowland, their combined expertise will benefit the commission, and she voiced confidence that they can back its integrity efforts throughout the Commonwealth public sector. The panel making the choice comprised Katherine Jones, secretary of the Attorney General's Department, former federal court judge Raymond Finkelstein, and Gina Cass-Gottlieb, head of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.[S1]
Both candidates received unanimous backing from the parliamentary joint committee on the National Anti-Corruption Commission, as the legislation governing the body requires. Their five-year terms are due to begin on 11 January next year, subject to approval by Governor General Sam Mostyn.[S1]
Why the watchdog is being reset
Paul Brereton, who became the commission's inaugural commissioner in 2023, stepped down in May, arguing that scrutiny of how he performed the job was pulling focus away from what the body exists to do. Questions had been raised about his ongoing consulting for his former employer, the inspector general of the Australian defence force, while he held the commissioner role. That consulting stemmed from his earlier heading of an inquiry into alleged war crimes committed by Australian troops in Afghanistan, prompting conflict-of-interest worries.[S1]
The commission faced further backlash when, in 2024, it first declined to look into six individuals referred by the robodebt royal commission, only to reverse that position a year later. Over 1,000 complaints about the original decision reached the NACC inspector, whose review concluded apprehended bias had affected it, finding that Brereton stayed involved in the matter even though he had flagged a perceived conflict concerning one of the six. The report made no finding of deliberate misconduct or any other impropriety. A subsequent report determined that two of the referred public servants had committed serious corrupt conduct.[S1]
Helen Haines, an independent MP involved in shaping the commission and now deputy chair of the parliamentary committee that oversees it, called the reset both needed and well timed. In her view, the nominations offer an opportunity to restore public trust and to make sure the body works with independence, credibility and integrity. She further expressed gratitude to acting commissioner Kylie Kilgour and acting deputy commissioners Jamie Lowe and Penny Shakespeare.[S1]
