Darren Cheeseman (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, I present the committee's report entitled Examination of the annual report of the Integrity Commissioner 2011-12.

In accordance with standing order 39(f) the report was made a Parliamentary Paper.

The Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner Act 2006 requires the committee to examine each annual report and each special report prepared by the Integrity Commissioner and report to the parliament. As ACLEI did not prepare any special reports over the review period, the committee focused its examination on ACLEI's expanded jurisdiction and its workload.

In a 2010 report, the ACLEI committee recommended an expansion of ACLEI's jurisdiction to include the law enforcement aspects of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. This recommendation was realised when Customs and Border Protection came under ACLEI's purview in January 2011. During the examination of the 2011-12 annual report, the committee considered ACLEI's work in relation to the Border Protection Service and the impact of ACLEI's widened jurisdiction on its prioritised workload.

During the year in review, ACLEI's focus and the greater part of its resources were concentrated on the Customs and Border Protection Service and the corruption issues notified or referred to ACLEI in relation to that agency. Initiatives such as Taskforce Natio, which examines the influences of organised crime and corruption risk at Australia's border as well as ACLEI's ongoing investigative work, are fully engaging the agency's resources and capabilities. This reality is reflected in ACLEI's expanded corruption assessment and investigation workload, which amounted to 185 corruption issues in 2011-12.

To meet these new challenges and expanding workload, ACLEI is implementing the recommendations of the 2012 review of the capabilities, operating arrangements and resources of the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity conducted by Mr Peter Hamburger PSM. Focused on the extension of ACLEI's jurisdiction to include Border Protection and Customs, this was the second review conducted by Mr Hamburger into ACLEI's capabilities and resourcing. The Hamburger review recommendations are directed at enabling ACLEI to operate with greater flexibility and effectiveness. As part of implementing the recommendations, a restructure was undertaken to support ACLEI's strategic orientation including the creation of a new strategic and secretariat branch. At the same time, systems to improve timeliness in assessments and reporting in investigations are under consideration.

The committee recognises that ACLEI's investigations and corruption initiatives are producing results and contributing to wider efforts to strengthen the integrity arrangements at Australia's borders. Further expansion of its jurisdiction to include three additional agencies in July 2013 will provide a further opportunity for ACLEI to widen the integrity framework and its influence.

At the same time, it poses a challenge for ACLEI in terms of managing its workload. For these reasons, the committee expects to continue monitoring the initiatives to make sure that we address the growing workload that comes from the expanded jurisdiction.

On behalf of the committee, I would like to congratulate the Integrity Commissioner, Mr Philip Moss, on the extension of his appointment for a further two years. This extension will provide the commissioner with further opportunities to consolidate and enhance the work of ACLEI at a time when its jurisdiction and capabilities are expanding significantly.

Finally, the committee commends the Integrity Commissioner and his staff for the quality and readability of the 2011-12 annual report. The report reflects the fact that ACLEI is not only strongly embedded within the integrity landscape but that it is a sphere of influence within the Commonwealth integrity and law enforcement environment and that it continues to grow. I commend the report to the House.

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