This is the Commission's monthly update for October, providing visibility to the media and the public on our key activities and work underway.
As at 1 October, we are conducting 33 preliminary investigations and 38 corruption investigations. Three of our matters are currently before the courts, and since our commencement 11 convictions have been secured as a result of investigations we have commenced or continued.
Key public highlights from the last month include:
Commissioner Brereton's assistance to the IGADF
With respect to recent media reporting, prior to his appointment as Commissioner, Commissioner Brereton held an appointment as an Assistant Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force (IGADF). In that capacity, he led the IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry.
The Commissioner resigned his appointment as an Assistant IGADF in May 2023, before his appointment as Commissioner took effect on 1 July 2023.
Since June 2023, the Commissioner has had no formal or official position with IGADF. He has continued to respond, on an informal and honorary basis, when consulted by the Office of the Inspector-General of the ADF, to occasional requests for advice and information about the Afghanistan Inquiry and Report, of which he has unique knowledge.
At no time has Commissioner Brereton sought, received or expected payment or any other form of compensation for this.
However, to avoid any perception of a conflict, the Commissioner has not and does not participate in matters before the Commission which involve or affect the IGADF.
The then Attorney-General was aware and acknowledged at the time of the Commissioner's appointment that after resigning as an Assistant IGADF he would continue to provide advice and respond, on a strictly informal basis, to requests for information from the Office of the IGADF about the Afghanistan Inquiry. As no compensation would be involved, the Attorney-General's formal approval was not required.
Appeal dismissed in Operation Barker case
On Wednesday 24 September, the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal dismissed an appeal from former Australian Taxation Office (ATO) employee Wenfeng Wei against his sentence of 5 years imprisonment for receiving a bribe, unauthorised access to restricted data, and unrelated offences of abuse of public office and 2 other unauthorised access to restricted data offences.
The sentencing outcome stemmed from Operation Barker, a joint investigation commenced by the former Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI) and the ATO. The matter transitioned to the National Anti-Corruption Commission on 1 July 2023.
The investigation related to the payment of a bribe to Wei in exchange for potentially reducing various personal and business tax debts by millions of dollars, and for disclosing restricted information to 2 different individuals on more than 1,000 occasions.
See Convictions for a full list of convictions resulting from our investigations.
Sentencing outcome in Operation Hay
On Friday 12 September, former ATO employee Kasey Harries was convicted and sentenced to a total effective sentence of 5 months imprisonment for falsely claiming Victorian and Australian Government payments using the sensitive information and records of 4 taxpayers.
This conviction and sentencing stemmed from Operation Hay, a joint investigation commenced by ACLEI and the ATO. The investigation obtained evidence that, between October 2020 and April 2022, Harries used sensitive taxpayer information, obtained through her employment at the ATO, to create false accounts purporting to be operated by real taxpayers, and fraudulently claimed up to $60,000 in COVID-19 Test Isolation Payments and income tax refunds.
Harries was granted bail, pending an appeal against the sentence to the County Court of Victoria. The appeal is listed on 9 February 2026.
See media release: Former ATO employee sentenced for misuse of taxpayer information, fraud | National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC)
Update on APSACC 2026
It is now less than a year until the Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference (APSACC) 2026, to be hosted by the National Anti-Corruption Commission from 7-9 September at the National Convention Centre in Canberra.
With the theme A strategic approach to integrity - culture, systems and accountability, APSACC 2026 will be an in-person and virtual event across 3 days, comprising one day of workshops and a 2-day conference, featuring a range of leading international and domestic keynote speakers.
Ticketing and program details will be announced soon. Subscribe for the latest information on the APSACC 2026 website .
