The new corruption watchdog appears to have its work cut out for it after it received a massive upsurge of complaints.
Officially opening on July 1, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has been tasked with stopping corrupt conduct involving Commonwealth officials, ministers, parliamentarians, and their staff.
Commissioner Warns Against Weaponising the Watchdog
The uptick in referrals comes as Commissioner Paul Brereton warns against attempts to weaponise the NACC via “inappropriate or unfounded referrals,” saying it could cause “unfair damage to reputations.”“We will assess all the matters of which we are aware to decide whether they should be investigated,” Mr. Brereton said.
“I want the commission to have the reputation of being fearless but fair, independent, and impartial.
“While the legislation gives us great powers, with that comes great responsibility.”
The caution comes after Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce accused the left-wing Australian Greens of already planning to leverage the body for political gain.
Greens Welcome the Commission
However, senator Pocock, who has been instrumental in uncovering corrupt practices by consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, said the NACC could not have opened at a better time.“What I’ve done is listen to a lot of Australians who want their money spent on the things that need to be funded. They want corruption and poor behaviour in the government called out.
“At last, we have a federal body with the powers to investigate serious corruption, and there couldn’t be a better time for the NACC to open its doors than right now.”
The senator also reminded Australians that anyone could refer instances of corruption in the government to the NACC.
“Any Australian citizen can refer instances of corruption in government to the NACC, and that is what I have done today in my capacity as a concerned member of the Australian public,” said the senator after completing an online notification about PwC, shortly after the NACC website went live.
“There must be a bucket load of NACC referrals being submitted (because) the SUBMIT button isn’t working. Nevertheless: mine is done!” Senator Pocock said in a Twitter post on Saturday morning.