Australian news and politics: National Anti-Corruption Commissioner resigns, PM honours Neale Daniher

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Paul Brereton, the former judge who was meant to clean out corruption in federal politics and the public service, resigned on Monday before publication of an investigation into his own conduct.

The National Anti-Corruption Commissioner said he would leave the agency he has led since its creation three years ago. Denying he had done anything wrong, the Army Reserve general acknowledged that he was under scrutiny over allegations of conflict of interest.

The government has received a draft report into his conduct by Gail Furness, a lawyer who handles complaints about the commission.

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Australia’s fuel tsar gets paid more than $16,000 per week to help Australia respond to energy supply chain issues in the wake of the US-Israel-Iran war.

National fuel coordinator Anthea Harris’ $233,677 salary for just over three months’ work was disclosed during Senate Estimates on Monday.

Anthony Albanese tasked Ms Harris with helping address shortages of petrol, diesel, jet fuel, urea, fertilisers, pipes and other resources impacted by the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Mr Albanese announced Ms Harris’ appointment on March 19 and her contract runs between March 23 to June 30 but can be extended if needed.

As part of her COVID-era type role, Ms Harris can monitor, coordinate, and intervene in distribution of fuel in Australia. She also meets weekly with fuel co-ordinates appointed by State or Territory government.

Ms Harris’ salary comes out of $9.2 million provided to the department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to establish a taskforce to help deal with the crisis.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stepped up in the House of Representatives to pay tribute to AFL legend, Neale Daniher.

The 65-year-old Australian of the Year died on Monday following a long battle with motor neurone disease.

Mr Albanese begun by sharing his condolences to the Daniher family on behalf of the Government and the people of Australia.

“Neale Daniher’s remarkable legacy lives all around us,” he said.

“The difference he made can be measured in the national awareness and the tens of millions of dollars that he and FightMND have raised to research a cure.

“Above all, it will be carried in the hearts of everyone who found new strength and new hope in their fight because of the extraordinary example that Neale set.

“May this wonderful man rest in eternal peace.”

Daniher’s family have released a statement following the football great’s death.

The head of the National Anti-Corruption Commissioner Paul Brereton has announced he will resign from the high-profile position in July.

In 2023 the senior Army officer who oversaw the inquiry into alleged Australian war crimes in Afghanistan was appointed as the inaugural NACC Commissioner, but his term has been plagued by claims of conflicts of interest.

In a statement on Monday, Mr Brereton confirmed he would be stepping down from the corruption-fighting job after serving three years.

“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 of strengthening integrity in the Commonwealth public sector, which has always been my primary focus as Commissioner.”

“I believe that the Commission’s success is paramount, and not due to any single person.

“While I will continue to resist any suggestion of impropriety, I have decided that it is time, now that the Commission is established and functioning with quality staff and good processes, to step aside and allow a new Commissioner to lead it into the next phase of its development into a key and respected component of the integrity architecture of the Commonwealth.”

Nationals leader Matt Canavan has called for the Climate 200-backed community independents to “just get it over with” and form a party, accusing them of already “working in unison”.

The Queensland Senator had been asked at a press conference in Parliament on Monday, following speculation the Teals had been in talks to form a new political movement.

However, independents and several MPs had publicly ruled themselves out from signing up throughout Monday morning.

“The Teals are already a party. They meet every week,” Senator Canavan said.

“I say ‘bring it on, just get it over with’ because we know you’re a party.

“You’re funded by similar people, I saw it in action at the Farrer by-election.

“So, stop the charade. Stop trying to hide from the Australian people when the reality is that the Teals are a party.

“They work in unison, they’re funded in unison and they have a hidden agenda.”

Australian Parliament House staff have revealled the construction price tag of 11 Senate suites will cost taxpayers “in excess of $14 million-dollars”.

Each Senate estimates session with parliamentary staff can paint an interesting picture of where money is being spent in the Canberra bubble.

Among the details shared after questioning by Senators, APH staff revealed that a fit-out of 11 new Senate suites was costing a staggering $14 million.

Bureaucrat Nicola Hinder acknowledged that people had questioned the high figure and made comparisions with residential building constructions. But she reminded Senators that APH had set quaility standards which were costly and offered to give them a tour.

Ms Hinder repeatedly said the department was doing some “deep thinking” around how they “present” the financial figures to the committee.

Other costs discussed included the $145,000 budget for APH to buy art to add to their 6500-piece collection and more than $112,000 for circular, blindspot, safety mirrors in the basement of Parliament.

Officials in the Attorney General department have blamed junior officers in Senate Estimates for concerns raised over their transparency during a grilling of the processing of Freedom of Information requests.

Senators from across the political spectrum were scathing of the department after reports they delayed the publication of an FOI request until a “minute” before the last senate estimates.

It came after an email was leaked from their FOI team requesting that the publication be delayed until the day of estimates.

“Is this standard strategy inside your department? You consciously delay the release of information under FOI so it won’t be available for you and the department to be contested under estimates?,” Greens’ David Shoebridge quizzed, accusing them of “gaming the Act”.

Attorney General Department’s secretary Katherine Jones said she didn’t accept accusations that the delay was a politically-driven decision and instead blamed “junior officers” in the FOI team.

“No, Senator. We look to comply with the requirements under the Act,” she said.

“I’m not going to talk to individuals (within the Department), they were junior officers. I do note that the FOI was released.”

Senator Shoebridge accused her of trying to “hang these junior officers inside the FOI team out to dry”.

A Labor Senator has told Nationals Senate Leader Bridget McKenzie he would “cut her up” as tensions boiled over at a parliamentary committee on Monday.

During a senate estimates hearing Senator McKenzie challenged Labor Senator Glenn Sterle to debate her on policies affecting the trucking industry.

“Happy to have that debate with you on any forum, in any state, anywhere in Australia - cause I’ll cut you up,” Seantor Sterle responded.

“You’ll cut me up?” Senator McKenzie quizzed her Labor colleague.

“Metaphorically, I”ll carve you up is what I should say,” Senator Sterle clarified, before calling Senator McKenzie an “ignoramus”.

Mike Burgess has stood by comments made by ASIO in a report days before the Bondi Beach terror attack, that the agency was concerned over “lone wolf” attacks amidst degrading national security.

A holiday threat assessment report, submitted by ASIO on December 2, 2025, was issued so that other groups, including law enforcement, could be ready and armed with information, the director-general explained.

That assessment put the probability of a terror attack occurring over the holiday period, which specifically included religious events, at around 50 per cent.

He added that the threat continues today.

“We continue to put the resources where we know the threat is,” the director-general said.

Asked what threats there are, the director-general said: “That would include ‘are there any other potential actions underway by the state of Iran’.”

He said this work was being done under an “abundance of caution”.

The ASIO boss said that the resources were put where they needed to be, and if the agency has a resourcing issue, he would seek funds from Government.