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The Honourable Deputy Chief Justice Robert McClelland of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, who formerly served as attorney‑general of Australia, is set to become commissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, while the executive director and former general counsel of the corporate regulator, Christopher Savundra, will serve as deputy commissioner.
Robert McLelland AO, Deputy Chief Justice of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1 and 2), who also served as the nation’s attorney-general from 2007 to 2011, has been recommended for appointment to the role of commissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).
Christopher Savundra, who currently serves as the executive director of enforcement and compliance at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), and formerly served as ASIC’s general counsel, is being recommended as deputy commissioner.
Deputy Chief Justice McClelland and Savundra are proposed to serve terms of five years, which will start on 11 January 2027.
The appointments follow the resignation of former commissioner, the Honourable Justice Paul Brereton AM RFD, in late May.
At the time, Brereton said the “ongoing focus on matters relating to me personally rather than the commission’s work is drawing attention away from the commission’s core purpose of strengthening integrity in the Commonwealth public sector, which has always been my primary focus as commissioner”.
“I believe that the Commission’s success is paramount, and not due to any single person. While I will continue to resist any suggestion of impropriety, I have decided that it is time, now that the Commission is established and functioning with quality staff and good processes, to step aside and allow a new Commissioner to lead it into the next phase of its development into a key and respected component of the integrity architecture of the Commonwealth,” he said.
Brereton, who was appointed to the role of commissioner in March 2023, was found 18 months later to have engaged in alleged officer misconduct amid a decision not to investigate six referrals from the robodebt royal commission.
In early 2025, the NACC reversed that decision, announcing it would investigate those six referrals. Then, in August of last year, an email dug up in a freedom of information request revealed that Brereton was involved in drafting a public announcement about the robodebt referrals, despite earlier allegations that he made a mistake of fact or law during the investigation.
In a statement, Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said: “I congratulate Deputy Chief Justice McClelland and Mr Savundra on their proposed appointments.
“Deputy Chief Justice McClelland and Mr Savundra’s expertise will be an asset to the Commission, and I have confidence in their ability to contribute to its important work to enhance integrity across the Commonwealth public sector.”
Deputy Chief Justice McClelland and Savundra were selected, the statement went on, “through an open, competitive and merit-based selection process” and “will bring a wealth of experience, sound judgment and strong leadership capability to their respective roles”.
The parliamentary joint committee on the National Anti-Corruption Commission provided its approval for the appointments, A-G Rowland added, and the candidates were also assessed by a panel comprising: secretary of the Attorney-General’s Department (chair) Katherine Jones PSM, retired Federal Court judge Raymond Finkelstein AO KC, and ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb.
The government also thanked acting NACC commissioner Kylie Kilgour and acting deputy commissioners Jamie Lowe and Penny Shakespeare, whom it said have provided leadership and stability to the commission during the selection and appointment process.
The trio will remain in their respective roles until the commencement of the proposed appointments.
