Labor’s national anti-corruption commission to hold ‘most’ hearings in private

Attorney general Mark Dreyfus also confirms integrity commission will be able to investigate conduct retrospectively

• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our free news app, morning email briefing or daily news podcast

Labor is facing a backlash from the crossbench over its decision for the national anti-corruption commission to hold most" of its hearings in private with public hearings limited to exceptional circumstances".

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday the high bar for public hearings was the right setting" to avoid reputational harm", but did not rule out that it was included at the Liberal opposition's request.

Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning