CANBERRA — National Anti-Corruption Commission inspector Gail Furness discontinued two investigations into former commissioner Paul Brereton. Furness stated she could not justify the expenditure required to complete the investigations.

One investigation concerned Brereton's failure to appropriately declare conflicts of interest related to his role as Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force. This investigation covered the period between July 2023 and October 2025. Furness had prepared a draft report regarding this matter, and Brereton's lawyers contested whether he had contravened public governance laws. Furness stated that completing this investigation was unnecessary because the relevant information was already publicly available.

A second investigation related to Brereton's conduct on one occasion regarding two separate National Anti-Corruption Commission operations. The complaint for this second investigation was referred to Furness in December 2025. Furness decided to commence the investigation after receiving Brereton's response to the allegation in April. Brereton's lawyers contested the validity of the decision to conduct this investigation. Individuals associated with the occasion expressed concerns about their safety and the safety of their families if details of the allegation were disclosed publicly.

Furness stated, "Significant public money has been spent on these two complaint investigations." She added, "In order for the draft reports, which are in part contested, to be completed, further considerable public funds would need to be spent." Furness explained her decision, stating, "I cannot justify such expenditure in circumstances where Commissioner Brereton has resigned and, in my opinion, the systemic issues which had been identified have been satisfactorily addressed." Furness noted that publication of a final report on the second matter would be significantly curtailed due to safety concerns.

Paul Brereton resigned from his role as National Anti-Corruption Commission commissioner during a Senate estimates hearing in May. Brereton was the inaugural commissioner, and his tenure ended three years into a five-year posting. He previously served as the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force. Furness received 98 defence-related referrals made to the commission during the period before Brereton made his conflict of interest declaration. Furness had not completed her analysis of these referrals.