The outcome of the federal election on Saturday 3 May 2025 means that the new Parliament will include a significant number of newly elected parliamentarians.
The Commission will continue its important work educating all parliamentarians about their responsibilities under the National Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2022 (NACC Act), the Commission’s role, and the corruption risks and vulnerabilities that exist for public officials.
How the Commission engages with parliamentarians and their staff
The Commission’s jurisdiction includes parliamentarians, their staff employed under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984, and:
- those engaged by parliamentarians as a consultant under that Act
- any individual engaged in assisting the parliamentarian’s office on behalf of the office or the Commonwealth, including volunteers.
Under the NACC Act, Parliamentarians are agency heads and have mandatory referral obligations: they must refer any suspected serious or systemic corrupt conduct involving their staff to the Commission.
Upon its establishment in 2023, National Anti-Corruption Commissioner Paul Brereton AM RFD SC personally addressed each party room and the independent members.
The Commission looks forward to engaging with incoming members and senators, to provide education about corruption risks and vulnerabilities that may concern them, and guidance about strategies to safeguard integrity and referrals of suspected corrupt conduct.
Corruption risks for parliamentarians
For parliamentarians, key areas of corruption risks and vulnerability include:
- use of parliamentary resources and staff
- use of official information
- public sector appointments
- grants
- government advertising
- donations and other gifts.
These were highlighted in the Commission’s open letter to prospective election participants in March 2025. The letter also repeated the Commission’s advice that it is inappropriate to announce a referral to the Commission for collateral, including political, purposes.
Publicising allegations of corruption
The Commission welcomes and encourages appropriate referrals of potential corrupt conduct.
However, whether in the context of the election or not, the Commission discourages publicising referrals made to it. Publicising referrals compromises the Commission’s ability to carry out investigations and can cause unfair reputational damage.
It is important to understand when the Commission seeks more information from a referrer on a matter, it does not mean the Commission has opened an investigation on that matter. Seeking further information, where necessary, is part of the assessment process.