Brereton appointed to lead National Anti-Corruption Commission

An eminent judge who ran the probe into alleged Australian war crimes in Afghanistan has been appointed to head the first federal anti-corruption body.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus confirmed on Wednesday that NSW Court of Appeal Justice Paul Brereton would lead the National Anti-Corruption Commission, an appointment that was revealed earlier this month.

Paul Brereton will lead the National Anti-Corruption Commission.Credit:Edwina Pickles

“He has a wealth of experience leading complex and sensitive investigations,” Dreyfus said on Wednesday.

The appointment of Brereton, a former army major general who is a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the military, was confirmed by a parliamentary committee of 12 MPs charged with monitoring the performance of the new watchdog and approving senior appointments.

The committee has spent the past two weeks vetting Brereton and deputy commissioners for the body the government hopes will be up and running in the new financial year. It will fulfil a key Labor pledge from the last election, after the Coalition failed to set up an anti-corruption body despite broad public support.

Brereton helmed the landmark four-year inquiry into alleged war crimes perpetrated by Australian soldiers in the Afghanistan war. In the probe’s final report delivered in 2020, he uncovered credible allegations that special forces soldiers committed 39 murders. The Morrison government established the $75 million Office of the Special Investigator to investigate if criminal charges should be laid.

Geoffrey Watson, SC, a former counsel assisting the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption and a proponent for a national corruption body, said earlier this month that the inaugural commissioner would be a consequential figure.

“They will set the culture for the place; whether it is a dynamic force, whether it is efficient, whether it moves swiftly to deliver a report,” Watson said.

“There are still grey areas about the jurisdiction. The original commissioner will be the person who tests that, who may challenge or extend the jurisdiction. I’m hoping it will be an aggressive organisation.”

More to come.

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