Federal politicians, on the Joint Committee on the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), were made to look like fools by NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton at a hearing last Friday (22/11/24) in Canberra.
NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton should have been easy pickings for the politicians given he was found guilty of “officer misconduct” after he was exposed for lying and deceiving about recusing himself from the decision not to investigate the Robodebt 6 which included his friend Kathryn Campbell.
While NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton did take some hits in questions from Senator David Shoebridge, and to a lesser degree Deputy Chair Dr Helen Haines MP, the other politicians on the committee were weak and feeble at best with their questions and some didn’t even bother to attend.
But all the politicians failed badly to ask the NACC Deputy Commissioners any hard questions, with only Deputy Commissioner Nicole Rose receiving questions, and both Deputy Commissioner Ben Gauntlet and Deputy Commissioner Kylie Kilgour received no questions.
NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton’s corrupt conduct wasn’t by him alone. It was a conspiracy with the 3 Deputy Commissioners and NACC CEO as they all knew Paul Brereton should have been nowhere near the Robodebt matter, but they allowed Brereton to be heavily involved before, during and after the decision not to investigate the Robodebt 6.
The below video is of the full hearing of the Joint Committee asking questions of the NACC Commissioner, the Deputies and CEO and is followed by the full hearing of the Joint Committee asking questions of the Inspector of the NACC Gail Furness SC.
For the NACC Annual Report 2023 -2024 click here. For the Inspector of the NACC Annual Report 2023 -2024 click here.
The Inspector of the NACC Gail Furness SC also dodged any bullets and was not asked any hard questions by anyone.
The Joint Committee on the NACC which is made up of federal politicians, MP’s and Senators, and is the oversight body for the NACC that is meant to hold the NACC accountable.
But based on the Joint Committee’s performance last Friday they are failing badly to do their job, and the lot should resign or be sacked.
While it could be argued that Senator David Shoebridge and Deputy Chair Dr Helen Haines MP did their jobs questioning Commissioner Paul Brereton they failed just as badly as the other politicians when it came to questioning the Deputy Commissioners and The Inspector of the NACC Gail Furness SC.
NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton
Questions that should have been asked but were not
The NACC Deputy Commissioners all should have been asked why they allowed Commissioner Paul Brereton to be involved before, during and after the Robodebt decision was made given they all knew Brereton had a conflict of interest. But they were never asked which I find scandalous.
Given they are all meant to be experts in the law they all should have come to the same conclusion as The Inspector of the NACC Gail Furness SC and former judge Alan Robertson that Paul Brereton should have not been involved at all. So, why did they allow it to happen?
The Inspector of the NACC Gail Furness SC should have been asked why she muzzled former judge Alan Robertson to protect Paul Brereton and others from criminal charges? (Click here to read more)
There are lot more questions that should have been asked but the Labor and coalition members of the Joint Committee were never going to ask hard question given Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and coalition leader Peter Dutton set up the NACC to hide corruption, not expose it.
Senator David Shoebridge and Deputy Chair Dr Helen Haines MP also didn’t ask Gail Furness SC any hard questions.
With Helen Haines I think maybe it was because she was just out of her depth.
But Senator David Shoebridge is a lawyer, and he would know Gail Furness SC is up to her neck in a cover-up, but he let it slide which isn’t good enough.
Does Shoebridge know Gail Furness personally or was it just the attorney-attorney respect law in action where lawyers always look after each other? Shoebridge has a very good reputation for exposing corruption, but his protection of Gail Furness loses him a lot of points.
Joint Committee on the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) fails at the first hurdle
I previously wrote:
NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton engaging “in officer misconduct” has met and exceeded the NACC’s own “exceptional circumstances” criteria to justify a public hearing into Brereton’s “misconduct”.
Failure to have a public hearing will leave a stench of corruption hanging over the NACC until Brereton resigns and maybe long after and that I argue meets the NACC’s own “exceptional circumstances” criteria to justify a public hearing. (Click here to read more)
And while Paul Brereton remains NACC Commissioner the Joint Committee is a failure.
Why didn’t the Joint Committee ask Paul Brereton to resign last Friday? Because most of them want a corrupt Commissioner.
Paul Brereton might have taken a bit of heat last Friday but at the end of the hearing he hopped up and walked out knowing he was still the NACC Commissioner and that by itself made the Joint Committee look like the fools they are.
I’ll keep following up on the NACC.
Please use Twitter, Facebook, email and the other buttons below and help promote this article.
Kangaroo Court of Australia is independent media and is 100% crowdfunded by readers like yourself so please support on the links below. Click on the PayPal button below to donate or for other donation options click here to go to the Donations page.
Thank you for your support.
For the KCA t-shirt shop click here.
For the Fugitive Clothing t-shirt shop click here
Join the free email subscription below and you will be notified immediately I publish new articles which is normally twice a week.
Discover more from Kangaroo Court of Australia
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categories: National Anti-Corruption Commission
Apart from Senator Shoebridge, the rest are fools, nothing new in that claim. Saw an event in WA whereas an independent journalist asked WA Premier about a new gas deal for WA, soon as the journalist asked a difficult question, he was husseled away by WA police, can’t have independent journalists asking embarrassing questions about possible dodgy deals, same as NT Govt refusing to answer questions about their recent gifting of gas to a US company, old media remains silent (complicent) and politicians refuse to provide any details under the pretext of confidentiality clauses. Rest assured Brereton shall continue with his mission of loyally serving his political masters, probably due for a review of his renumeration and sudden increase just like the subservient recently appointed GG. Morrison was bad, current collection of fools are seriously bad.
I find it terrifying what a cesspit of corruption this country has become in the last decade. They barely try to hide it any more – why should they? There’s no accountability. To think we pinned our hopes on Albo. He’s one of the worst.
The performance by the Joint Committee on the National Anti-Corruption Commission was truly incompetent. I was shocked at the calibre of questioning from Senators with responsibility of insuring the accountability of the NACC. Sen Shoebridge had a go but was constantly interrupted by the Chair, as for the others – pathetic. Bereton, 3 deps and Inspector will get away with this.
As it was always intended…
Let them know you want them to do better
nacc.committee@aph.gov.au
Totally agree mate, question should come from the public, aahhh the fantasy world I live in!
Thanks KCA. This is such an important event
Should not be left to corrupt pollies to handle. Their questioning was incompetent
Robert
I suggest perusal of the back ground of the weak Committee will reveal connections to australian army reserve push. Furness is a dud and should resign. The very spineless P.M. and That dedicated red neck Dutton thing from Qld are both amoral and so Austral Ian. This venal Country is beyond redemption. If the gangs in Canberra had any decency they would vote to return this sick country to the Aboriginal Community, Charles.
Thank you KCA, for the follow up and continued use of the microscope.
This entire affair has been utterly farcical.
The NACC hearing last Friday was a tragic spectacle of incompetence and complicity. Paul Brereton, already tainted by findings of misconduct and clear conflicts of interest in the Robodebt decision, walked out still Commissioner, thanks to a Joint Committee too feeble or unwilling to ask tough questions. Deputy Commissioners sat untouched, while Inspector Gail Furness dodged accountability altogether. The few present committee members flailed, with even Senator David Shoebridge’s efforts falling short of his usual on point questioning. This is not oversight – it’s a farce, eroding every shred of public trust in the NACC and exposing it as a body more interested in shielding corruption than confronting it. If this continues, both the committee and the NACC leadership must go.
The Australian people are not fools, but the NACC and its so-called oversight committee are treating them as though they are. Enough is enough. This isn’t governance; it’s theatre – bad theatre – where those tasked with rooting out corruption instead enable it. If such blatant failures persist, the leadership and the so-called watchdogs must step down.
REPEAT:
Australians aren’t fools, but this shameless charade insults our intelligence. It’s time to end the mockery.
Who and where is the next level of accountability, that must be questioned?
Thanks for all the hard work you do in exposing the corruption and muck in our political system. I truly despair at the state of our country.
Brereton should resign or be sacked.
Silence is golden, as the saying goes. Their Commie- ittee is there to shield them not expose them for their corrupt actions. Thanks KCA, please keep going.
Just, as it appears, the NACC was always intended.
There are supposed to be 12 MPs (who get paid a bonus to sit) on the committee. The near-empty chamber speaks for itself! Someone must point this out! Perhaps the fourth estate was listening to proceedings while out eating a mashed avocado lunch! I am more shocked by the vision than by the text.
This was an opportunity for the Albanese administration to take a stand for public accountability. It has failed miserably. Conclusion, there are skeletons in the closet they wish to hide from scrutiny. Dutton has obviously put out the word and won’t hold back if this exercise in blame shifting doesn’t end well for him and his mates.