Senior public servant allegedly promoted sister’s fiance, forged signature

A senior public servant has allegedly committed corrupt conduct after she promoted her sister’s fiance for a high-ranking position in Home Affairs in the first public investigation completed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission in its two years of operation.

The NACC alleged the public servant abused her office by promoting her sister’s fiance as a candidate for a position in Home Affairs, praising him to colleagues, creating the job requisition, approving it herself and forging a witness signature to fast-track onboarding.

An official from the Department of Home Affairs allegedly engaged in corrupt conduct.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The investigation alleged the official did this “while deliberately concealing the family relationship”, and at no point did she disclose the relationship. In a separate incident, the official allegedly provided job interview questions to her sister in advance.

The NACC recommended the official’s employment be terminated, but she had already resigned. The finding, published on Monday, is the first publicly completed investigation by the NACC since its formation in June 2023.

The commission said the conduct was found to be serious because of the public official’s seniority and systemic because the behaviours were repeated.

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NACC commissioner Paul Brereton said the agency had received many referrals about recruitment and promotion in the public service.

“In the 2024 Commonwealth Integrity Survey, public sector employees told us that nepotism and cronyism are among the most frequently observed corrupt behaviours,” he said.

“[This case] illustrates systemic risks in APS recruitment. It reinforces the need for strong corruption prevention measures – including mandatory conflict of interest disclosures in all recruitment processes, and prevention of improper disclosures of official information.”

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