New corruption Paul Brereton has consultants in his sights

The new anti-corruption head has clearly defined the broad scope of the new commission that will aim to stamp out and prevention corruption even in the private sector.

National Anti-Corruption Commission chair Paul Brereton. Picture: AAP

The head of the National Anti-Corruption Commission has set his sights on consultants, making a specific point about the private sector as he laid out his vision for the new organisation.

Speaking to lawyers recently, NACC chair Paul Brereton said he expects only a “relatively small” part of his job will involve investigating parliamentarians.

“While much of the public debate and media clamour has been concerned with parliamentarians, I expect they will form a relatively small if prominent part of our activities. The commission’s jurisdiction extends far beyond them, and although the touchstone of the jurisdiction is the involvement of a commonwealth public official, it has significant implications for business and the corporate sector,” Mr Brereton said.

The former judge made the comments during his first official speech after being appointed the first head of the new national corruption-busting body.

Mr Brereton addressed Allens law firm in Sydney during the UN Global Compact Network’s 2023 Australian Dialogue on Bribery and Corruption, where he honed in on the government’s reliance on private consultants.

“In the light of the extent to which government has in recent years retained external consultants, and the extent to which the delivery of many commonwealth services is outsourced to contracted service providers, this is a large field, which I expect will attract considerable interest from the commission,” he said.

The NACC was launched on July 1 and has already received 541 complaints in the first month.

Mr Brereton said its formation had “implications for the corporate sector, business and lawyers, and the future of integrity in governance”.

His remarks, described as “perfect” by Geoffrey Watson SC, of the Centre for Public Integrity, also canvassed how prevention will be a key pillar of the NACC.

“As well as investigation, the prevention of corruption, through educating the public sector and the public, is an important part of our work.

“The commission will provide guidance and information to help public officials understand and address vulnerabilities to corruption, and to help agencies and governments avoid falling off the integrity track.”