Anti-corruption boss hits back at suggestions he contributed to robodebt victims’ suffering

Senate estimates hearing also hears a second investigation is under way into Paul Brereton’s conduct Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Paul Brereton, the outgoing national anti-corruption commissioner, has defended his actions and decisions as the watchdog’s first head in a tense Senate estimates hearing, and hit back at suggestions he contributed to the suffering of robodebt victims. It was also revealed during the Tuesday night hearing that Brereton is the subject of a second investigation by the organisation’s inspector. Brereton said he decided to leave his post three years into a five-year term because the continued “distraction” of investigations was not in his or the institution’s best interests. “So the fact of having been under investigation and being distracted from doing the job that I wanted to do as commissioner by the need to defend myself and by the Nacc needing to defend myself, that’s why I decided to resign,” he said. “We now have a commission in which staff are terrified of making any mistake of fact or law, because they fear they will be visited with a finding of