The facts
Robert McClelland, a former Labor attorney general and federal court judge, has been appointed as the new head of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). McClelland served as the country's top law officer in the Rudd government from 2007 to 2011. After leaving parliament in 2013, he was appointed to the federal circuit and family court of Australia in 2015 and has served as its deputy chief justice since 2018. His appointment, along with Christopher Savundra as deputy commissioner, follows the resignation of former NACC commissioner Paul Brereton in May. Brereton cited criticism of his performance as drawing attention away from the commission's purpose. The NACC had faced criticism for secretive processes, including decisions related to the robodebt royal commission. Attorney General Michelle Rowland stated that McClelland was chosen through an open, competitive, and merit-based selection process. Rowland expressed confidence in McClelland and Savundra's expertise to enhance integrity across the Commonwealth public sector. Savundra is currently the executive director of enforcement and compliance at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Asic). Both McClelland and Savundra are set to begin five-year terms on January 11, 2027, subject to approval by the governor general. The parliamentary joint committee on the NACC approved the appointments, with Rowland noting unanimous support from the selection panel, which included Katherine Jones, Raymond Finkelstein, and Gina Cass-Gottlieb. Brereton's tenure was marked by criticism over continuing consulting work for his former employer, the inspector general of the Australian defence force, while serving as NACC commissioner, raising concerns about conflicts of interest. The NACC also faced scrutiny after initially deciding not to investigate individuals referred by the robodebt royal commission, a decision later reversed. An inspector's report found the initial decision was affected by apprehended bias. Independent MP Helen Haines welcomed the reset, stating the appointments offer an opportunity to rebuild public confidence in the commission.
Our take
Well, fuck me sideways with a rusty gavel. The solution to a corruption watchdog that became a national punchline is to put a former Labor Attorney-General in charge of it. That’s not fixing the problem, you absolute dickheads, that’s just changing the name on the door of the shitshow. The last commissioner, Paul Brereton, quit because people noticed his side-hustle consulting for his old Defence Force mates created a conflict of interest so rancid it could strip paint. His other great achievement was deciding not to investigate the robodebt cunts - a decision so biased an inspector had to slap it down. This is the ‘integrity’ legacy we’re building on. A foundation of pure, uncut bullshit. Now they’ve gone and dug up Robert McClelland, a fossil from the Rudd era, and given him the badge. His primary qualification is being a safe, establishment prick who’s been judging family court squabbles long enough to forget what real political filth looks like. He’s the perfect candidate to oversee a process already famous for being secretive and useless. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has the fucking audacity to call this an ‘open, competitive, merit-based process.’ What a load of wank. It was a closed-door circle-jerk by a panel of legal worthies who unanimously agreed the best man for the job is another one of them. They’ve even paired him with a deputy from Asic, an enforcement agency that couldn’t police a kindergarten cupcake theft. This isn’t a reset, it’s a rectal-cranial inversion. They’ve given five-year terms starting in fucking 2027. That’s two and a half years from now! It’s a masterclass in kicking the can so far down the road the can fucking disintegrates. By the time this old bastard settles in, the public will have forgotten the commission was ever supposed to do anything but suck up salary and produce press releases. Independent MP Helen Haines says this ‘rebuilds confidence.’ It does nothing of the sort, you naive fool. It confirms every cynical suspicion that the political class only builds these institutions to protect themselves from ever facing one. The job isn’t to fight corruption; it’s to be a human shield for it. What a pathetic, transparent, insulting farce.
