Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—The year 2024-25 reflects the second year of operation for the National Anti-Corruption Commission, and these reports represent the second time the parliamentary joint committee has undertaken its statutory function of examining the annual reports of the NACC and the NACC inspector. This is an important part of the committee's oversight role because it provides a yearly opportunity to review the performance of Australia's federal integrity body and its watchdog. Are these offices properly resourced? How are they spending their time? What activities are they focused on? Are they fulfilling their mandates? We ask these questions on behalf of all Australians, who have a right to expect a federal integrity body that delivers real accountability.

It's through the annual report that we learned the NACC has held 24 private hearings over more than 30 days in its purpose built hearing room but not one single one in public. It was my questioning that revealed the commissioner's understanding of his conflicts of interest is not shared by his deputies. We heard from the inspector about the types of complaints her office is receiving and the underlying issues they point towards. I thank the inspector for her frank and open engagement with the committee.

I'd also like to acknowledge the work of the chair, the member for Jagajaga, and of the other members of the committee as well as our hardworking secretariat. As a result of our examination, the committee has made three recommendations to the National Anti-Corruption Commission around addressing the backlog of referrals, exploring ways to communicate more effectively with referrers and building public confidence and trust in its systems and processes. I look forward to monitoring progress against these clear objectives.

Parliamentary oversight is a crucial part of the federal integrity system. I take my role as deputy chair of this committee very seriously. The establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Commission was a hard fought reform, and I stand committed to seeing it succeed.

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