This is the Commission’s monthly update for April, providing visibility to the media and the public on our key activities and work underway.
As at 8 April, we are conducting 29 preliminary investigations and 34 corruption investigations. Four of our matters are currently before the courts, and since our commencement 11 convictions have been secured as a result of investigations we have commenced or continued.
Operation Pelican report published
On 8 April, we published our investigation report for Operation Pelican, a joint investigation with the Australian Federal Police into whether a staff member of the Western Sydney Airport solicited a bribe during a tender process.
We found that the conduct of the staff member, Sajish Erasery, was an abuse of office. He used his position to solicit a bribe, knowing it to be improper and with the intention of gaining a benefit for himself. He engaged in corrupt conduct which, given the nature of his role and the amount of money involved, was serious.
Mr Erasery was convicted and sentenced in July 2025 to a 2-year term of imprisonment, to be served by way of an Intensive Correction Order in the community, including the completion of 500 hours of community service, for the conduct identified in this investigation.
The report also recommends the Attorney General’s Department consider measures to enable the relevant conduct to be prosecuted under Commonwealth law. While Mr Erasery was a Commonwealth public official, he was charged with a NSW state offence, as there was no suitable available Commonwealth offence.
Read the investigation report and case study on our website.
Commonwealth Integrity Survey back for 2026
We are pleased to confirm we will be conducting the next Commonwealth Integrity Survey later this year.
The survey, which will be sent to all Commonwealth public sector employees, will build on the findings from the inaugural survey conducted in 2024. It will identify changes since that survey that may allow public sector agencies to assess the impact of initiatives over the last 2 years and to identify emerging issues.
The survey will also:
- provide agencies and the NACC with a better understanding of the nature and extent of corruption in the Commonwealth public sector
- support agencies to assess risks by highlighting indicators that corruption may be occurring
- identify areas to target corruption prevention and integrity efforts, including around employees’ understanding of corruption, integrity culture, and barriers to reporting.
More information will be provided to Commonwealth public sector agencies and publicly ahead of the survey commencing.
Guides for voluntary and mandatory referrals
We have published guides for making voluntary and mandatory referrals to the NACC.
Anyone who has information about corruption involving Commonwealth agencies or public officials can make a voluntary referral. This guide explains how to refer suspected serious or systemic corrupt conduct to the NACC.
Agency heads and public interest disclosure officers must refer suspected serious or systemic corrupt conduct in their agency as soon as reasonably practicable, unless they believe on reasonable grounds that we are already aware of it. This guide explains how and when to make a mandatory referral.
Read the guides on our website:
We also recently published a case study, based on Operation Elektra, to provide a real-world example to better understand corruption vulnerabilities and threats.
These guides and case study join a growing suite of corruption prevention and education resources available on our website.
Register now for APSACC 2026
It is now less than 5 months until the Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference (APSACC), to be hosted by the NACC in Canberra from 7-9 September 2026.
Whether you're looking to deepen your expertise, strengthen your practice or connect with peers, APSACC will bring together the people and insights that will help drive better integrity outcomes.
More information, including the conference program and registration details, is available on the APSACC 2026 website.