Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Justice and Customs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. I refer the minister to the revelation by the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police in Senate estimates last night that a reference to the impact of the government’s policy changes on people-smuggling was removed from the Australian Federal Police report Strategic intelligence forecast—transnational criminal trends and threats to Australia before it was sent out to government agencies. Will the minister confirm that the advice warned of the risk that the government’s policy changes would contribute to an increase in illegal arrivals and will he inform the House on whose instructions this advice was excised from the Australian Federal Police report?

Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the shadow minister for her question. However, I am somewhat surprised that she chooses to verbal the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police. Last night in estimates, while questioned by Senator Brandis, the commissioner made very clear that he certainly was not going to discuss an internal classified document that goes to operational matters of the Australian Federal Police. Despite the ongoing questioning by Senator Brandis, he made very clear, as is proper, that he would not divulge to the senator, or indeed the Senate committee or indeed ministers of the government, operational matters. I can confirm that the document, entitled Strategic intelligence forecast—transnational criminal trends and threats to Australia, was prepared by the Australian Federal Police on 27 March 2009. As I have said, this document is highly classified and disseminated internally within the Australian Federal Police. Commissioner Negus went on to say yesterday that a sanitised version of the document was disseminated externally to a number of Australian government agencies.

It is outrageous for the shadow minister for customs, a person who should know better, to verbal the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police on security matters. As is proper, such intelligence documents are produced for operational use by the AFP and are not produced as a basis for policy advice to ministers. They guide the operational decisions of the AFP and its partner agencies. I say further that he did not affirm nor deny any of the comments put to him by Senator Brandis. It would have been improper for him to do so and, therefore, the Australian Federal Police commissioner showed himself to be a professional, unlike the shadow minister for customs.