Top lawyers and politicians are calling for changes to government selection processes after the nation's integrity watchdog became shrouded in a culture of secrecy.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission's inaugural boss Paul Brereton resigned on Monday following ongoing investigations into his conflicts of interest, including giving advice on defence matters.
“The ongoing focus on matters relating to me personally rather than the commission’s work is drawing attention away from the commission’s core purpose,” Mr Brereton wrote in his resignation statement.
But Centre for Public Integrity chair Anthony Whealy KC said Mr Brereton's behaviour was only allowed to reach a questionable point because of the recruitment processes and culture surrounding the anti-corruption watchdog.
"There needs to be a complete change of culture," he said.
During his tenure, Mr Brereton built an agency of 200 employees and a budget of more than $60 million per year, but he made no serious corruption findings.
The NACC's integrity policy has never been officially published. It was not revealed because of a freedom of information request which appeared in the commission's exposure log.
"Members of staff don't like being held accountable for what they're doing, and they are very secretive about what they are doing," Mr Whealy said.
"Commissioner Brereton has inculcated that culture as a central feature of the NACC and that has to change."
Independent politicians Helen Haines and David Pocock have called for more public hearings, claiming they have been shrouded in secrecy since the commission's 2023 inception.
The NACC website said it keeps investigations private unless there are exceptional circumstances, to protect whistleblowers and the integrity of the investigations.
Mr Brereton was given the role in early 2023 through a closed selection process, following a well-respected career with the Australian Defence Force.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has promised a merit-based process for the next appointment.
Mr Whealy said that required impartial panels, clear selection criteria, advertisements for people to apply, and for panellists to make recommendations to the attorney-general.
Greens NSW senator David Shoebridge, who previously called for Mr Brereton's resignation, said his replacement should be an eminent current or former judge who was outside the "Canberra club".
"They need to have the courage and the capacity to hold the defence department to account," he said.
