A senior official in the Department of Home Affairs was found guilty of corrupt conduct after falsifying information to secure a government job for her sister’s fiancé, as revealed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). The investigation, termed Operation Kingscliff, commenced in January 2024 following a whistleblower’s concerns about Joanne Simeson, the executive officer involved.
The commission’s report disclosed that Simeson assisted her sister’s fiancé, referred to as Mark Elbert, in obtaining a role with a salary of $101,264 in 2023. To expedite Elbert’s hiring, Simeson not only recommended him to her colleagues but also created and approved the job requisition herself, while forging a signature to facilitate the onboarding process. Throughout, she concealed her familial relationship with Elbert from her coworkers.
Additionally, Simeson provided her sister, Melissa Simeson, with interview questions during a separate recruitment in the same year. Although Melissa was placed on a merit list, she ultimately was not hired. The commission concluded that Joanne’s actions constituted an abuse of her position and misuse of official information. Notably, had she not resigned prior to the investigation’s completion, the commission would have recommended her termination.
While Melissa and Elbert were not deemed corrupt, Elbert no longer holds a position within the department. The NACC’s findings underscored significant flaws in public service recruitment processes, prompting Commissioner Paul Brereton to call for stronger measures to prevent such corrupt practices in the future. He noted that nepotism and cronyism were among the most commonly reported forms of corruption within the public service sector in a recent Integrity Survey.
The case highlights the crucial need for mandatory conflict of interest disclosures and safeguards against improper information sharing in recruitment procedures to ensure transparency and integrity within government roles.