A bill to establish a federal integrity commission has passed the lower house. 

Attorney-general Mark Dreyfus has thanked members of the lower house for passing legislation to establish Australia’s new National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). 

The passage came after the federal government approved amendments including broader protections for journalists and their sources, as well as requiring search warrants to be approved by eligible judges rather than a nominated member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

But the government was able to resist pressure from The Greens and crossbench to lower the threshold for public hearings.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended the NACC’s ability to hold public hearings only under “exceptional circumstances”, saying the threshold “strikes the right balance to ensure the benefits of holding public hearings are balanced against potential negative impacts”.

“Another key part of the commission’s independence has to be ensuring the decision as to whether a hearing is held in public is a decision that rests entirely in the hands of the commissioner, that is the point,” Mr Albanese said.

“That’s the way in which best practice should operate.”

The NACC legislation will head to the Senate, where a final vote could be held this week.

However, more amendments are expected to be made to the Bill in the upper house. 

The government says it still plans to have the NACC up and running by mid-2023.