A report by the National Anti-Corruption Commission into payments to a former Department of Home Affairs official by a company with a lucrative contract with Home Affairs raises more questions than answers.

Bill Browne, Director of the Australia Institute’s Democracy and Accountability Program, says the report is disappointing when it comes to transparency and public expectations.

Parliamentarians, academics and former whistleblowers will be among those meeting at the Australia Institute’s Transparency Summit next week to discuss how to address Australia’s culture of secrecy, including how to strengthen the NACC.

A survey of 1,005 Australians was conducted by Dynata between 21 and 23 May, 2024, about the circumstances under which the National Anti-Corruption Commission should be allowed to hold public hearings.

KEY POINTS:

• New Australia Institute polling research released today has found more than two thirds of Australians say the NACC should be able to hold public hearings whenever it is in the public interest to do so.
• Legislation limits when the NACC can hold public hearings to only “exceptional circumstances”.
• The Australia Institute advocated for a national integrity commission for five years, before the NACC was established in 2022.

“When the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) was created in 2022, Australians had high expectations, given a string of high-profile integrity issues in government had been identified,” said Bill Browne, Director, Democracy & Accountability Program at the Australia Institute.

“Australians would be surprised to see such a limited inquiry into the Paladin affair.

“The anti-corruption watchdog was told that a senior public servant was ‘just too busy’ to make a conflict of interest declaration in writing and ‘did not think’ to disclose a change in circumstances for her security clearance. This should provoke serious soul-searching in the public service, but the NACC provided no recommendations or reflections on the broader issues involved.

“It’s possible a more detailed inquiry into the Paladin affair is ongoing, but without a public announcement or public hearings, how can Australians have confidence that these issues are being explored properly?

“These early investigations set expectations for the NACC and, so far, the bar has been set low.

“The NACC is yet to hold public hearing, but public hearings are important to ensure that justice is done and to reassure Australians that the NACC is functioning well.

“Public hearings educate people as to what does and doesn’t constitute corruption and encourage witnesses to come forward with more information.

“Australia Institute polling research confirms that Australians overwhelmingly believe that the NACC should be empowered to hold public hearings whenever they are in the public interest.”