Assistant ADF Inspector-General Justice Paul Brereton, who delivered the Afghanistan Inquiry Report, has been appointed to head the new National Anti-Corruption Commission.

He is also a judge of the NSW Court of Appeal and holds a commission as a Major General in the ADF Reserves.

Justice Brereton will serve a five year term.

He was commissioned by Defence in 2016 to probe allegations relating to possible breaches of the Law of Armed Conflict by members of the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan between 2005 to 2016.

His report, released in 2020, found ‘credible information’ of 23 incidents of the alleged unlawful killing of 39 people.

Deputy commissioners

Former AUSTRAC CEO Nicole Rose and AHRC Disability Discrimination Commissioner Ben Gauntlett will serve as deputy commissioners on the new body.

Federal Integrity Commissioner Jaala Hinchliffe will be acting deputy commissioner for up to 12 months pending the appointment of a third deputy.

 Philip Reed, currently CEO of the NSW ICAC, will serve as CEO on the new federal corruption body, and ICAC inspector Gail Furness SC has been appointed (NACC) inspector.

“With these proposed appointments the government is delivering on its commitment to the Australian people to return integrity, honesty and accountability to government by establishing a powerful, transparent and independent National Anti-Corruption Commission in its first term,” Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement.

The NACC will begin operations from the middle of this year.