Arch Bevis (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, I present the annual report of the committee’s activities for the 2007-08 year.

Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.

Due to the election during the period for which this report was prepared, the work of the committee in both the 41st and the 42nd parliaments is covered in the report. I would like at the outset to take this opportunity to thank the members of the committee in the 41st parliament. In particular, I would like to place on the record our thanks for the work of the chairperson of the committee in the 41st parliament, the Hon David Jull. I am sure I can say on behalf of everybody on both sides in this House who worked with David and knew him that we wish him good health and a pleasant retirement. We hope he is enjoying the sunshine and some time away from the hurly-burly of this parliament.

The committee completed a very full and productive year scrutinising terrorism legislation and the administration and expenditure of the various intelligence agencies. Since the last annual report on the committee’s activities, which was tabled in June 2007, the committee has tabled six reports. In addition to the tabled reports, the committee is currently conducting the sixth review of administration and expenditure of the intelligence community agencies.

The fifth review of the administration and expenditure was the first full review which looked broadly at the administration and expenditure of the six intelligence and security agencies since the Intelligence Services Act was amended in December 2005 to add to the committee’s oversight responsibilities the Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation, otherwise known as DIGO; the Office of National Assessments, the ONA; and the Defence Intelligence Organisation, the DIO.

Overall, the committee was satisfied the administration of the six intelligence and security agencies was sound. The committee found that, whilst the security clearance process had been streamlined and some backlog had been cleared, completing clearances within a reasonable time frame was still an issue for most agencies. The recruitment of the required numbers of staff with necessary language skills also continues to remain an issue for most agencies. Overall, the committee indicated that agencies were doing all they could to overcome that particular problem.

The other major review of 2007 was the statutory review of the proscription of ‘terrorist organisations’ under subsection 102(1A)(2) of the Criminal Code. The committee noted the need for an adequate community communication or education program to accompany a listing or a relisting. This is an area of continuing interest to the committee.

I should also note that during the course of this annual review, on 5 May 2008, the committee accepted the resignation of Senator Robert Ray, a longstanding member of the committee. The committee recorded its appreciation by highlighting Senator Ray’s very substantial contribution to the work of the committee, noting that it had left the committee with an excellent reputation both in this parliament and in the Australian intelligence community.

Finally, the committee of the 42nd parliament is concerned that there is an insufficient pool of staff with the necessary top security clearances within the Department of the House of Representatives to provide flexibility in staffing. This committee, unlike any other in the parliament, does require support staff to have a quite intrusive, positive vet, top-security clearance. That is not normal for people who work in this building, but it does mean that the committee’s work requires a pool of staff within the House department who are able to meet that standard. The committee accordingly has made a recommendation about the need for additional staff to have the appropriate security clearances.

On behalf of the committee I again thank fellow members of the committee in the 42nd parliament and again place on record my thanks to those who served on the committee in the 41st parliament. I also thank the committee secretariat for the work they have done both in the 42nd parliament and in the 41st parliament. I commend the report to the House.

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