National Anti Corruption Commission (NACC)
Cook AP
Author
The Albanese Government has delivered on its election promise to establish Australia's first independent anti-corruption watchdog with strong powers to investigate serious or systemic corrupt conduct across the entire Commonwealth public sector.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) was established on 1 July 2023, marking a significant milestone in restoring integrity to government. After promising to create a powerful anti-corruption watchdog during the 2022 election campaign, the Albanese Labor Government delivered legislation by the end of 2022, with the Commission becoming operational just seven months later. (The Liberals essentially broke this promise).
The NACC has quickly established itself as an active watchdog, receiving 1,544 referrals in the first eight months of its second year of operation. As of 5 March 2025, the Commission is conducting 32 preliminary investigations and 32 corruption investigations, with 9 of these being joint investigations. Additionally, the NACC is overseeing 14 investigations by other agencies and has 5 matters before the courts, demonstrating its commitment to addressing corruption allegations.
Key factors of the NACC:
Broad jurisdiction: Authority to investigate ministers, parliamentarians and their staff, statutory office holders, government employees and contractors
Independence: Operates without government interference, with discretion to commence inquiries on its own initiative or in response to referrals
Transparency: Power to hold public hearings when determined to be in the public interest
Retrospective powers: Ability to investigate allegations of corruption that occurred before or after its establishment
Strong oversight: Monitored by a statutory Joint Standing Committee of Parliament
[1] https://www.nacc.gov.au/
[2] https://www.kristymcbain.com.au/news/media-releases/the-albanese-labor-government-delivers-australia-s-first-national-anti-corruption-commission/
[3] https://ministers.ag.gov.au/media-centre/commencement-national-anti-corruption-commission-30-06-2023
[4] https://www.nacc.gov.au/news-and-media/weekly-update-work-commission-5-march-2025
[5] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/apr/13/scott-morrison-effectively-ditches-his-promise-to-establish-a-federal-anti-corruption-commission
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Anti-Corruption_Commission_(Australia)