Andrew L. Urban.
Bruce Lehrmann is no longer under investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission NACC for allegedly using secrets about French submarines for his own ends, reports the ABC.
“The former commissioner (Paul Brereton) decided to take no further action concerning the investigation in Operation Ivanhoe,” writes the corruption watchdog.
The notification delivered on Monday October 12, 2026, closes a saga that began with raids of the 31-year-old’s home in June 2024 over allegations he took secret documents from the office of former defence minister Linda Reynolds five years earlier.
“The NACC has been a colossal waste of taxpayer money,” Lehrmann said in response to the watchdog’s letter on Monday. “Over two years the former commissioner used his powers to personally advance a conspiracy that I was a spy and traitor to the nation, selling defence secrets to foreign countries.”
A coupla things: Paul Brereton resigned as National Anti-Corruption Commissioner five months ago, departing 6 July 2026. He announced his resignation on 25 May 2026 (after serving as the inaugural Commissioner since 1 July 2023). He cited ongoing personal scrutiny as a distraction from the Commission’s work.
Current Acting Commissioner is Kylie Kilgour. She has held the role of Acting Commissioner since 6 July 2026 (she was previously a Deputy Commissioner of the NACC). A permanent appointment process is underway. (Brereton resigned on May 25, almost five months ago. Doesn’t anyone want this job? Or is the organisation plain incompetent?)
The notification to Lehrmann attributes the decision to abandon the investigation to Brereton. So why wait three months or more after Brereton leaves to notify Lehrmann? When did Brereton make the decision? And the NACC is silent on why it abandoned this investigation (as usual) – or what has been the cost of it?