The head of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), Paul Brereton, will step away from all defence-related corruption referrals following questions over his handling of perceived conflicts of interest.

The backdown, announced quietly on Friday evening, comes amid increasing pressure on the commissioner to address concerns about his military ties and their potential impact on corruption investigations involving Defence.

"The Commissioner's Defence service and connections have attracted in some quarters has become a distraction from the Commission's work,"

the NACC statement said.

"As a result, the Commissioner has decided that he will not participate in consideration of any referrals which involve the interests of any Defence or ADF individual or unit that is or comes before the

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