Senior public servant abused position to get family member APS job: NACC
By Brittney Levinson
June 30 2025
A former senior public servant abused her position in Home Affairs to parachute a family member into a job, saying she would "talk [him] through the lie" during the recruitment process.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission found a former senior executive service officer engaged in corrupt conduct on multiple occasions, including by praising the family member to colleagues, creating the job request and approving it herself and forging a witness signature.
The investigation centred on the official's transfer of her sister's fiance to Home Affairs, which began in 2023.
The NACC found the official's involvement in the job transfer included promoting her sister's fiance as a candidate for a position in Home Affairs and praising him to colleagues.
The official was also found to have created the job requisition - a formal request that hiring managers fill out to create a new position or to fill a vacancy - and approved it herself.
She forged a witness signature in order to fast-track the onboarding process, the investigation found.
During the process, she deliberately concealed the family relationship from others, the NACC found.
In a separate employment process, the official was also found to have provided interview questions to her sister in advance.
'We'll talk [him] through the lie'
Several email and WhatsApp exchanges between the family members were detailed in the NACC's investigation report.
In late 2022, the senior public servant, who was given the pseudonym Joanne Simeson in the report, attempted to refer her sister's fiancé, given the pseudonym Mark Elbert, for an FOI position in Home Affairs.
Ms Simeson asked her sister to send through Mr Elbert's updated CV so she could pass it on to the relevant branch head.
In a text message, Ms Simeson told her sister the assistant secretary was keen to meet Mr Elbert and that "we'll talk [Mr Elbert] through the lie".
The sister responded that Mr Elbert was "so bad at lying he's too honest", to which Ms Simeson replied, " ... well he's gonna have to do better or I'll get in trouble".
When asked by the NACC what she meant by getting in trouble, Ms Simeson said it was in relation to her decision not to disclose her relationship to Mr Elbert.
She said she believed if the connection was known, Mr Elbert would be shown patronage.
Mr Elbert did not end up considering the FOI role.
'He cannot say our surname'
In early 2023, Ms Simeson suggested a different role to Mr Elbert, this time in the global initiatives branch of Home Affairs.
Ms Simeson emailed a director within the branch, suggesting they arrange a meeting with Mr Elbert about the role.
The director asked how Ms Simeson knew Mr Elbert, to which she said he was a "friend of a friend".
Later, Ms Simeson wrote to her sister, updating her on the process.
"I told them I knew [him] through a friend. Technically not not true he just needs to play along! Also I'm the boss so they will do whatever I say," Ms Simeson wrote.
Ms Simeson told the NACC the above was a "joke between two sisters".
In another message to her sister, Ms Simeson wrote:
"He won't say you're my sister ... Okay so make sure [he] sells his ability to write briefs. Pick up subjects quickly. Good team member. Loves international work. Able to work across time zones. You are not my sister. He cannot say our surname. Or where you work."
Ms Simeson told the NACC she wanted Mr Elbert to be assessed on his own merits.
Mr Elbert accepted the role and in June 2023 attended to Home Affairs office to collect his laptop.
Ms Simeson wrote to her sister in all capitals, saying: "HAHAHAHAHA I JUST WENT TO HUG HIM THANK GOD HE STUCK HIS HAND OUT [FIRST]".
The sister replied, "GAHAHAHAH ... What a good boy he's such a good boy."
Public servant resigns from APS
Releasing its findings from the investigation, known as Operation Kingscliff, the commission deemed the conduct as serious because of the seniority of the public official, the deception involved and the significant benefits of securing a role in the public service.
It found the conduct was systemic because the behaviours were repeated and because nepotism, cronyism and undeclared conflicts were areas of concern within the APS.
The NACC confirmed the senior official has resigned from the APS.
"Had she not done so, the commission would have recommended that her employment be terminated," it said in a statement.
The commission found Mark Elbert and Ms Simeson's sister did not engage in corrupt conduct.
It found while Mr Elbert did not volunteer information about his relationship to Ms Simeson, there was no evidence that he lied about it.
National Anti-Corruption commissioner Paul Brereton said the commission had received many referrals about recruitment and promotion in the Australian Public Service.
Nepotism and cronyism were among the most frequently observed corrupt behaviours, according to the most recent public service census.
National Anti-Corruption commissioner Paul Brereton. Pictures by Karleen Minney, Jamlia Toderas
Mr Brereton said the investigation illustrated the 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," he said.
Brittney Levinson
Politics and public service reporter
Brittney is part of the federal political bureau, covering politics, the public service and economics. Brittney joined The Canberra Times in 2021 and was previously the property reporter. Got a news tip? Get in touch: brittney.levinson@canberratimes.com.