Any big reform is going to come with teething problems.

But the National Anti-Corruption Commission’s forced about-face over whether it should investigate robodebt is both a win for the federal government’s newly improved integrity system, and a dire warning for the Nacc itself to rethink its role.

The reversal follows a finding by the Inspector of the Nacc, Gail Furness, that Commissioner Paul Brereton did not adequately remove himself from the decision-making process – despite his intention to do so.

He needed to remove himself, because as a former senior officer in the Army Reserve, he had worked closely with at least one of those allegedly responsible for the harm caused by robodebt.

The inspector also found the Nacc inaccurately claimed that other government inquiries would be sufficient to ensure appropriate sanctions in those individual cases.

So why is this latest development a win for the federal government’s new integrity system?

For a start, it demonstrates that Australians have high expectations that the Nacc should deliver on its mandate, and not be another faceless government agency, accountable to no one.

This was driven by rigorous reporting by the media as well as people power. The agency received hundreds of complaints from........

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