Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I do appreciate the opportunity to again make some comments about this bill. I want to go to the part of the bill dealing with amendments relating to the enhanced dismissal powers of the CEO of the Australian Crime Commission. The amendments allow for termination in cases where there has been serious misconduct or where there has been conduct which is having, or is likely to have, a damaging effect on morale or on the reputation of the Australian Crime Commission with the Australian public or other agencies, including overseas agencies. From the opposition’s perspective, in line with the usual bipartisanship that is associated with matters on which we have absolute common ground, we welcome these changes. The integrity and the standing of the Australian Crime Commission in its dealings with other agencies are sacrosanct.

In terms of intelligence, trust, as we know, is everything. Those organisations that may share information with the ACC must be confident in the commission’s ability to properly control that information; otherwise that information will not be shared in the future. That would make the Australian Crime Commission unable to properly pursue its priorities.

I will conclude my contribution by saying that I have complete confidence in the Australian Crime Commission and the Australian Federal Police. Corruption is a very rare event, but precautions are always required to deal with such problems quickly and to ensure that the standing of these agencies remains high, because their standing is important and it is always in the national interest. I certainly endorse this bill as it stands.

See this speech in context