Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Crime Commission, I present the committee’s report of the inquiry into the Australian Crime Commission annual report 2006-07, together with the evidence received by the committee.

Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.

The ultimate objective of the committee’s examination is to evaluate the performance of the ACC, identify its strengths and weaknesses and isolate any issues that may have hindered the effectiveness of the ACC. Overall, the committee is satisfied that the ACC appears to be working efficiently and effectively and it is pleased with the predominantly professional manner with which the commission has conducted itself. However, I note one point of concern for the committee resulting from a failure of the ACC to communicate with the committee concerning a matter within the committee’s area of legislative responsibility. I take this opportunity to emphasise the importance of openness between the ACC and the committee to maintain the integrity of the parliament’s administrative function.

The committee has made two recommendations to parliament in its examination which, if adopted, will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the ACC. The first of these relates to the inclusion of the Commissioner of Taxation on the ACC board. This is a recommendation that has been made by this committee previously, in the examinations of the 2004-05 and the 2005-06 annual reports. The government indicated in 2006 that it was giving due consideration to the committee’s recommendation. However, since that time we have not received a more substantive response, which is rather disappointing.

The appointment of the Commissioner of Taxation to the board of the ACC is a logical progression of the relationship between the Australian Taxation Office and the board. Many of the matters brought before the board for its consideration require specialist knowledge of the Commissioner of Taxation; in fact, ACC intelligence resulted in $75 million of tax assessments being conducted. The ACC’s report into organised crime underlined further the value of the close working relationship between the ATO and the board. Accordingly, I strongly endorse the committee’s recommendation that the government amend the Australian Crime Commission Act to include the Commissioner of Taxation on the ACC board.

The second of the committee’s recommendations pertains to the government’s response to the Trowell report, and in particular the behaviour of witnesses under examination from the ACC. The committee heard that certain individuals are employing delaying tactics, not only to advance serious organised crime but also to frustrate the efforts of ACC operations. The committee was greatly concerned to hear of these occurrences and has requested that the government expedite its response to the Trowell report, particularly its recommendation that the commission be conferred with the power to certify persons for contempt for not fulfilling their statutory obligations.

I wish to acknowledge the significant results that the ACC, its officers and its partner agencies have produced in 2006-07. In particular, I call attention to the remarkable figure of a massive illicit drug seizure with an estimated street value of more than $1.5 billion, and 429 charges laid in the reporting period. I understand that the investigations into these seizures are still being conducted, so that number is sure to increase, and I congratulate the ACC for its diligence and tenacity in eliminating the drugs scourge from our streets. I have no doubt of the important role the ACC plays in law enforcement in Australia. I am confident that the aforementioned recommendations will, if implemented, assist the ACC in its ongoing efforts to combat organised crime.

Finally, I take this opportunity to thank the chair of the committee, Senator Steve Hutchins, and my fellow committee members, particularly those present in the House, including the member for Werriwa, who will be speaking next, and the member for Sturt, who spoke previously. We are obviously working very closely, in a bipartisan way, to do our best to ensure that we are one voice fighting crime. I would also like to sincerely thank Dr Jacqueline Dewar, Dr Robin Clough, Monika Sheppard and Jill Manning of the secretariat for their work on this report and for the continued support they provide to the committee. I commend the report.

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