Former Labor attorney general turned judge Robert McClelland named new anti-corruption boss
tags:Former Labor attorney general and federal court judge Robert McClelland has been named as the new boss of the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
McClelland was the country’s top law officer in the Rudd government, serving from 2007 until 2011. After leaving parliament in 2013, he has served as the deputy chief justice of the federal circuit and family court of Australia since 2018, after being appointed to the court by the former Coalition government in 2015.
His appointment – along with that of Christopher Savundra as deputy commissioner – came after the attorney general, Michelle Rowland, promised a “reset” of the watchdog after the resignation of Paul Brereton.
Brereton, who in 2023 was appointed the first commissioner of the Nacc, quit in May, saying criticism of his performance in the role was “drawing attention away” from the body’s purpose. The Nacc has been criticised for secretive and sometimes bungled processes, including over referrals related to the robodebt royal commission.
On Monday, Rowland said McClelland had been chosen through an open, competitive and merit-based selection process.
“I congratulate deputy chief Justice McClelland and Mr Savundra on their proposed appointments,” Rowland said.
“Deputy chief Justice McClelland and Mr Savundra’s expertise will be an asset to the commission, and I have confidence in their ability to contribute to its important work to enhance integrity across the Commonwealth public sector.”
Savundra is now the executive director of enforcement and compliance at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Asic).
McClelland and Savundra will begin five-year terms on 11 January next year, subject to approval by the governor general, Sam Mostyn.
The parliamentary joint committee on the National Anti-Corruption Commission signed off on the appointments, as required by legislation governing the commission’s work.
Rowland said both candidates received unanimous support.
The selection panel included Attorney General’s Department secretary, Katherine Jones, former federal court judge Raymond Finkelstein, and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission boss, Gina Cass-Gottlieb.
Brereton was criticised for continuing to complete consulting work for his previous employer – the inspector general of the Australian defence force (IGADF) – while serving as the Nacc’s commissioner.
The work related to his former position leading an inquiry into alleged war crimes involving Australian troops in Afghanistan and led to concerns about conflicts of interest.
The Nacc was also heavily criticised after an initial decision in 2024 not to investigate the six people referred to it by the robodebt royal commission. It subsequently reversed the decision the next year.
The Nacc inspector received more than 1,000 complaints about the initial decision, finding that it was “affected by apprehended bias”, after determining Brereton had not removed himself from the decision-making process despite declaring a perceived conflict of interest with one of the six individuals.
But the report also noted there was “no finding of intentional wrongdoing or other impropriety”.
A report was eventually released earlier this year, finding two of the public servants referred had engaged in serious corrupt conduct.
Independent MP Helen Haines, who helped design the Nacc and is deputy chair of its parliamentary oversight committee, said the reset was necessary and timely.
“The proposed appointments are an opportunity to rebuild public confidence and ensure the commission can do its job with independence, credibility and integrity,” she said in a statement.
Haines also thanked the acting commissioner, Kylie Kilgour, and the acting deputy commissioners Jamie Lowe and Penny Shakespeare.