Hosking, who was the NGV's head of IT during the alleged offending, was arrested after an investigation by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC). Operation Sonder was launched in September 2025 to probe allegations of corrupt conduct by the former senior employee.
His lawyer, Josh Smith, told the court his client had been "incredibly co-operative" with IBAC's investigation. "He's led a really sort of ordinary, law-abiding life in every other aspect except for this [alleged offending]," Smith said. "He is a hard-working family man who has found the whole process extremely difficult on him and his family, but he is facing the music and hoping to finalise the matter as quickly as possible."
IBAC alleges Hosking misused his position to conceal the offending. Investigators raided his apartment on 13 September last year and seized multiple devices. A source with knowledge of the investigation told this masthead that Telstra's fraud squad alerted the NGV to the alleged fraud, which involved fake invoices for mobile phones.
The magistrate, Tim Bourke, gave police until December to file evidence and released Hosking on bail with conditions including surrendering his passport and not leaving Australia. He must return to court in January.
NGV staff were told the employee had been fired in September 2025 after the allegations were reported. The gallery said its $4.8 billion art collection was not affected. An NGV spokesperson confirmed the employee's dismissal, and almost all references to him have been removed from the NGV website. Hosking has also deleted his social media accounts.
The NGV, founded in 1861, is Australia's oldest and most popular gallery and employs about 500 staff, according to its most recent annual report.