The federal corruption watchdog is turning to AI to help clear the caseload congestion, while insisting that humans will retain responsibility for decision-making.
A parliamentary probe has unearthed a string of interminable wait times.
The longest example cited was 815 days, with at least several more taking more than a year.
NACC Inspector Gail Furness, who has oversight of the federal anti-corruption body, said complainants who get radio silence after lodging their matters of alleged wrongdoing feel disappointment and worse.
"They consider that it's a waste of everyone's time," she told the parliamentary committee on Friday.
"They form the view that the NACC's are not particularly interested in what they have to say, and if they were more interested, there'd be more a prompt response.
"One described it as emotionally draining and had catastrophic impacts on health and well-being and mental distress.
"They see it as a lack of accountability."
A NACC submission stated it received 7377 referrals in its first 33 months of operation, half of which are closed within a month.
For those that progress to investigation - just 98 so far, or 1.3 per cent of referrals - the average probe takes eight months owing to complexities.
Many cases remain outstanding, and more than 300 are yet to be looked at.
The NACC says submitters should familarise themselves with the body's jurisdiction, given thousands of referrals have been ruled out of bounds as they pertain to state or territory matters, or mistakes rather than corruption.
Ms Furness said some would-be whistleblowers aren't helping themselves or the NACC by repeatedly sending in extra material, slowing investigations.
"You can get 20 emails overnight, and if it contains potentially new information, they all have to be considered ...it makes the assessment process more difficult," she said.
One referrer provided 635 separate emails, often with multiple large attachments, to support 12 referrals.
Given the enhanced utility of AI tools, the NACC submitted it was trialling the technology to help it triage cases.
Ms Furness said AI use was "high on their agenda" and that state and territory anti-corruption bodies were collaborating on its proper and secure use.
Liberal MP Alex Hawke said he understood one of the primary reasons that cases were sluggish response times by federal agencies.
"Given that these allegations do pertain to activities or people or agents within each of these agencies, I just wonder if there's something systemic here," he said.
Ms Furness said she "didn't doubt" there were agency delays and invited anyone with concerns to submit a referral to her office.
The NACC, established in 2023, has roughly 238 full-time equivalent staff across offices in Canberra, Brisbane and Perth, with a budget of $66 million.
Its first years have been blighted by conflict of interest concerns in inaugural commissioner Paul Brereton, who resigned in May.
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