Robert McClelland named new corruption watchdog chief after Brereton resignation

Robert McClelland named new head of National Anti-Corruption Committee

The full report

Robert McClelland has been named as the new head of the National Anti-Corruption Committee (NACC), replacing embattled former watchdog chief Paul Brereton. McClelland, a judge and former attorney-general during the Rudd government, is set to lead the NACC. The recommendation comes after the resignation of Brereton in May.

Justice McClelland and his deputy Christopher Savundra are expected to begin five-year terms in January. McClelland is currently deputy chief justice of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. He was the nation's first law officer under the Rudd government from 2007 to 2011, before he was removed from the attorney-general portfolio under Julia Gillard's leadership into a less senior cabinet position.

McClelland served as the Labor member for Barton in NSW between 1996 to 2013, resigning at the 2013 election. He was first appointed as a judge to the Family Court of Australia by former Liberal attorney-general George Brandis in 2015 and elevated to his current role by Mr Brandis's successor Christian Porter in 2018.

The NACC, a key pillar in Labor's election promises to enhance government transparency and accountability, has been embroiled in controversy surrounding its former chief. Former NACC chief Paul Brereton left his post after allegations of misconduct.

McClelland and Savundra will begin their terms on 11 January next year, subject to approval by the governor general, Sam Mostyn. The parliamentary joint committee on the National Anti-Corruption Commission signed off on the appointments, as required by legislation governing the commission's work.

The selection panel included Attorney General's Department secretary, Katherine Jones, former federal court judge Raymond Finkelstein, and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission boss, Gina Cass-Gottlieb. Both candidates received unanimous support.