The Greens have welcomed the resignation of NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton, which came the day before he was due to face Senate Estimates for the first time.
The Greens have been calling for Commissioner Brereton's resignation for years. Today he has resigned after sustained community and political pressure.
As stated by Greens Senator and Justice Spokesperson David Shoebridge:
"Paul Brereton's resignation is the right outcome for the NACC and is a step towards rebuilding trust in the Commission.
"It is striking that he chose to resign today the day before his first planned appearance at Senate Estimates which was only scheduled following a successful Greens motion in the Senate last sitting week.
"The Robodebt victims, including the people who died as a result of that unlawful scheme, and the hundreds of thousands of Australians harmed by it, deserved better from NACC than they received under Brereton's leadership.
"Commissioner Brereton's inability to appropriately manage conflicts of interest, including relating to the Robodebt scandal, has plagued the NACC and materially damaged public trust.
"Repeated questioning in Parliament oversight committees has slowly drawn out details of Commissioner Brereton's ongoing involvement with Defence and this has been essential in shedding light on the NACC.
"The NACC was established because Australians demanded genuine, independent accountability in the Commonwealth public sector. That task is more important than any single Commissioner.
"The Albanese Government needs to learn from this experience and approach new appointments with a focus on transparency, accountability and with genuine oversight by the Parliamentary Joint Committee into the NACC.
"The Greens will keep fighting to make sure the NACC becomes the integrity body this country so desperately needs."
