Nick Feik

I know that several integrity experts in the legal field, for example, Jeffrey Watson SC, they believe that the commissioner of the NAC should never have been a defence figure.

The military is a hierarchical organisation.

It's generally secretive.

They don't deal well with transparency and accountability issues as a culture.

And I think the method of appointing all of the commissioners and deputy commissioners in the first instance was problematic.

The NAC had the run of the field when they opened this organisation.

It was a brand-new integrity organisation.

They could have had former judges, they could have had SCs.

They ended up with the least qualified combination of deputies permitted under the Act.

It was almost like it was built to fail.

I think potentially a lot will be changed by his departure.

I think some of it depends on who they appoint next.

I think the Albanese government has a poor track record when it comes to appointing commissioners.

They need to appoint someone who is top draw, completely unimpeachable, has the best possible qualifications.

They need a transparent, rigorous process.

They'll need someone that the legal community gets behind, that transparency experts get behind, because

Brereton's left a serious mess at the NAC.

It's not just the conflicts.

This is an organisation with a serious deficit of public trust.

There's the pile of defence investigations.