Mal Brough (Fisher, Liberal Party, Special Minister of State) Share this | Hansard source

He is hanging on every word. The answer to your question is yes. The question again was whether the criminology researchers would be able to access the AIC's database. The merged agency will continue to respond to data requests from researchers in the same way as the AIC currently does. Each request will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, with the level of detail provided subject to the normal ethical and privacy considerations.

I believe the member for Fraser further asked what will happen to the JV Barry Library. The library will be maintained, I can advise the member. The merged agency will also work towards digitising this collection to improve public access, particularly for those located outside the ACT.

Furthermore, the question was raised: what are the implications for the AIC's research? Following the merger, the AIC would carry its research functions over to the ACC, forming a new research branch, the Australian Crime and Justice Research Centre. The Australian Crime and Justice Research Centre would continue to carry out the AIC's three main work streams, those being statistical monitoring programs, fee-for-service research and thematic research on crime and justice priorities.

Finally, what requirements will the ACC need to comply with in collecting personal information for research purposes? That is clearly an important question. I am advised the ACC will be subject to the ethical requirements set by the National Health and Medical Research Council's guidelines for research involving human subjects. These include the requirement to obtain informed consent when collecting data from participants and to ensure unit record data, which has the potential to identify a single participant, is only used for research purposes. An ethics committee will oversee the ACC's compliance with these requirements, as is currently the case with the AIC.

Finally, there is one last point that was requiring clarification and it related to people having access to correct their own information held by the ACC. Again, I am advised, that, although the ACC is exempt from the Privacy Act, it is subject to the Freedom of Information Act. This allows individuals to rely on the access and correction provisions in the FOI Act to access the correct personal information that the ACC may hold on them.

The proposed merger is not about cutting staff, nor is it about cutting the functions or the costs of the AIC or the ACC. It is about leveraging the strengths of both agencies to achieve the best research and intelligence outcomes for the Australian community. With the merger of the AIC into the ACC, the ACC will be better able to fulfil its role as Australia's national criminal intelligence agency, supporting and informing the efforts of law enforcement agencies across Australia. Similarly, the new Australian Crime and Justice Research Centre in the ACC will continue to prepare and disseminate world-leading criminological research, which informs our understanding of the trends and developments in crime and justice. In this way, the bill delivers on the government's commitment to tackle crime and to keep our community safe. I commend the bill to the house.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

Message from the Governor-General recommending appropriation.

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