NACC appoints Colonel Gary Hevey, for Robodebt hearings, to protect Major Generals Paul Brereton and Kathryn Campbell?

Army Colonel and barrister Gary Hevey RFD SC has been appointed as Counsel Assisting the Robodebt investigation that the National Anti-Corruption Commission Commissioner, and Army Reserve Major General, Paul Brereton was exposed sweeping under the carpet to at least in part protect his mate and fellow Army Reserve Major General Kathryn Campbell.

The NACC has become riddled with defence force personal, and how Colonel Gary Hevey was employed as Counsel Assisting for the Robodebt investigation needs investigating to see if all declarations were made regarding possible conflicts, and if they were made, why was he still employed given the obvious perceived bias with his military career.

Instead of the Robodebt cover-up scandal being put to bed, and everyone moving forward, if that’s possible, it has been prolonged as there are automatic grounds to make a compliant to the Inspector of the NACC for perceived bias given you have an Army officer in Colonel Gary Hevey investigating former Army Reserve Major General Kathryn Campbell.

Robodebt background

Former High Court of Australia judge Geoffrey Nettle, after being appointed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to review the Robodebt corruption evidence, told the NACC “that each of the 6 referrals raises a corruption issue”.

What we know is one of “6 referrals” that “raises a corruption issue” is former Prime Minister Scott Morrison and another is NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton’s good friend Kathryn Campbell.

The reason Geoffrey Nettle was hired to review the Robodebt corruption evidence is because NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton was exposed last year trying to sweep the 6 Robodebt referrals under the carpet to protect his mate Kathryn Campbell. (Click here to read more)

Recent evidence on links to the Department of Defence

Given NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton has a long history of looking after his mates in the Australian Defence Force you would think he would stop it, but he continues to do it regularly.

On the 16th of October 2025 I published an article titled “NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton’s fraudulent $100,000 jobs for the boys and girls scam exposed” which start off:

NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton has given contracts to his barrister mates Matthew Vesper and Christine Ernst at the NACC via limited tenders, which has corruption written all over it, as you will see in the video below.

Paul Brereton’s jobs for the boys and girls rort should be the final nail in his career as NACC Commissioner given his history of corruptly looking after his defence force mates in the Brereton Report, the Robodebt cover-up and lying to parliament about his continued role for The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force (IGADF). (Click here to read more)

A video version of the article “NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton’s fraudulent $100,000 jobs for the boys and girls scam exposed” is below and is well worth watching:

(Click here to watch the above video on the Kangaroo Court of Australia YouTube channel)

Colonel Gary Hevey

There is limited information on Colonel Gary Hevey and it seems he is no longer in the Army. His page on the Vicbar website says:

He served as an Army Officer, both Regular and Reserve, and rose to the rank of Colonel. He was appointed a Judge Advocate and Defence Force Magistrate in 1998 and resigned that appointment to become the Inaugural Director of Military Prosecutions between 2003 and 2006. He served two tours in Afghanistan and also served in Iraq and East Timor. 

and:

From September 2021 until June 2023 Gary was Chief Counsel to the Hon Geoffrey Nettle AC KC at the Office of the Special Investigator (Victoria). (Click here to read more)

Geoffrey Nettle and Gary Hevey investigated the police involved in the Lawyer X scandal at the Office of the Special Investigator (Victoria).

NACC July press release

The NACC issued the below statement as part of their July monthly update which made no mention of Colonel Gary Hevey:

Update on Robodebt referrals investigation

Following the Inspector’s report last year, we appointed former High Court Justice Geoffrey Nettle KC to reconsider the decision not to investigate the Robodebt Royal Commission referrals. In February, he decided we would investigate.

That investigation is now underway, led by Deputy Commissioner Kylie Kilgour, with Mr Nettle as Chief Adviser. The Commissioner and other Deputy Commissioners who were involved in the original decision not to investigate the referrals are not participating in the investigation. (Click here to read more)

A media report on the Justinian website says former High Court Justice Geoffrey Nettle KC is acting as Commissioner for the Robodebt investigation and Gary Hevey is Counsel Assisting. (Click here to read more)

Closing arguments for perceived bias

Those involved will argue Gary Hevey was hired by the NACC for the Robodebt investigation because he worked with Geoffrey Nettle previously from September 2021 until June 2023. But that doesn’t cut it, not even close.

On the 26th of July 2023 I published an article that started off: “National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Commissioner Paul Brereton is friends with Governor-General David Hurley and Robodebt fraudster Kathryn Campbell which creates a huge issue as corruption allegations against Hurley and Campbell have almost certainly been made to the NACC to evaluate and investigate if they think it is warranted.”

“As you will see in the pictures below Paul Brereton, David Hurley and Kathryn Campbell were senior Army officers at the Sydney University Regiment in 2008.” (Click here to read more)

I was proven right when Paul Brereton was exposed trying to protect his mate Kathryn Campbell. And I am right again now, Gary Hevey should have never been hired by the NACC as Counsel Assisting.

A key issue that has scandalised the NACC and the Robodebt cover-up is that we had an Army officer, Major General Paul Brereton, protecting another Army Officer, Major General Kathryn Campbell, and now here we go again with Colonel and barrister Gary Hevey being appointed as Counsel Assisting the Robodebt investigation.

NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton also has a lot to lose if the wrong findings are made by the Robodebt investigation given he tried to cover it up.

Will Gary Hevey do the right thing by the law or be loyal to his fellow army officers Paul Brereton and Kathryn Campbell? And that is the issue, it is a question we should not be in a position to ask because Hevey should not have been appointed by the NACC.

As I have previously written:

In a court of law, you do not have to prove real bias by a judge, you only have to show evidence that there is perceived bias, and a judge has to recuse themselves from hearing the matter.

On the Judicial Commission of NSW website it says:

The test for determining whether a judge should disqualify himself or herself by reason of apprehended bias is the objective “double might” test: “whether a fair-minded lay observer might reasonably apprehend that the judge might not bring an impartial and unprejudiced mind to the resolution of the question the judge is required to decide (Click here to read more)

Gary Hevey is not acting as a judge, but he is Counsel Assisting and his actions and submissions have the ability to greatly sway the outcome of the Robodebt investigation. On that basis, and given the perceived bias, he should not have been offered the role or taken the role.

All the people involved have legal degrees, Nettle is a former High Court of Australia judge, Brereton is a former NSW Supreme Court judge and Hevey is a barrister, and they know all about perceived bias which should have ruled out anyone with a defence force background going anywhere near the Robodebt investigation.

It is quite simple, keep all Defence Force officers away from the Robodebt investigation given one of the people being investigated is Kathryn Campbell who was until 2021 a Major General in the Army Reserve and she is mates with NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton.

In fact, keep all Defence Force officers away from the NACC given the amount of alleged fraud that goes on in the defence department such as the $368 billion AUKUS fraud and theft.

Once again this article is an exclusive that no other media have reported which shows the importance of independent media, so please read below and support.