The head of the investigation into alleged Australian war crimes in Afghanistan has been named as the first federal anti-corruption chief.
NSW Court of Appeal judge Paul Brereton will lead the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
Deputy commissioners will be Nicole Rose and Dr Ben Gauntlett.
“The government is delivering on its commitment to the Australian people to return integrity, honesty and accountability to government,” Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said.
Laws to put in place the commission passed federal parliament in December.
The body will investigate serious or systemic corrupt conduct across the commonwealth public sector by ministers, parliamentarians and their staff, statutory officer holders, employees of all government entities and government contractors.
It will operate independently of the government and be able to launch inquiries on its own initiative or in response to referrals, including from whistleblowers and the public.
The commission will be able to investigate alleged corruption that occurred before the laws were passed.
However, public hearings will only occur in exceptional circumstances and where it is considered in the public interest to do so.
The laws provide protections for whistleblowers and exemptions for journalists to protect the identity of sources.
– AAP
