Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to 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 2010-11. As a matter of process, I can say at the outset that the committee has found that the annual report is fully compliant with the Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner Act 2006 and regulations as well as with other relevant government requirements. This annual report is the fifth provided by the Integrity Commissioner and covers ACLEI's fourth full year of operation. The Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner Act 2006, the LEIC Act, requires the committee to examine each annual report and each special report prepared by the Integrity Commissioner and report to the parliament. As there were no special reports prepared by the Integrity Commissioner during 2010-11, the committee focused its examination of ACLEI's fifth annual report on the following: first, on ACLEI's achievements against the performance reporting framework; second, on the direction of ACLEI; and, finally, on certain issues arising from ACLEI's reported performance in 2010-11.

I begin by observing that ACLEI achieved the set performance targets in 2010-11. Nevertheless, the committee observed that the balance between ACLEI's workload and the resources it is given to handle that workload must continue to be monitored. The most significant development in 2010-11 was the inclusion of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service within ACLEI's jurisdiction. The committee recommended that this occur in its interim report for the inquiry into the operation of the LEIC Act.

In 2010-11 the Attorney-General's Department engaged Mr Peter Hamburger PSM to review ACLEIs capabilities, operating arrangements and resources. Mr Hamburger made three recommendations: government should consider establishing reporting arrangements on the timeliness of ACLEI's assessment process and its coordination with law enforcement agencies; an MOU should be developed between ACLEI and the three law enforcement agencies within its jurisdiction, under which ACLEI would be assured of an acceptable amount of physical surveillance capacity; and an agreement should be secured by which the law enforcement agencies would each transfer a small amount of funds to ACLEI to strengthen its capabilities in areas other than investigation, especially in relation to prevention activities. The committee supports these three recommendations and will monitor their implementation. In the committee's view, the most serious finding of the review was that ACLEI required greater access to high-end investigative capabilities, especially physical and technical surveillance capacity for which it had statutory authority but insufficient logistical capability. The committee congratulates ACLEI on another successful year of operation while recognising that significant challenges remain. These include the ongoing integration of Customs and Border Protection within ACLEI's anticorruption remit, improving the timeliness of assessments and investigations in the face of limited resources and further development of corruption prevention and education programs.

The committee welcomes the government's announcement on 13 December 2011, made by the then Minister for Home Affairs and Justice, the Hon. Brendan O'Connor, that further funding will be provided to strengthen detection and investigative capability within ACLEI. The committee looks forward to further detail in upcoming budget papers and annual reports. The annual report also notes the establishment of the community of practice for corruption prevention to bring together practitioners from agencies under ACLEI's jurisdiction and the formation of the Australian anticorruption commissions forum, comprising integrity agencies from around Australia.

I would like to acknowledge that the fifth anniversary of the establishment of ACLEI occurred on 30 December 2011 and that the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the committee occurred the day before yesterday, 26 February. In terms of the ACLEI committee's future work in 2012, the committee is now focusing on its inquiry into the integrity of overseas law enforcement operations. This is an understandably complex and critical area of inquiry and it continues the ACLEI committee's important function in assisting the positive and constructive evolution of the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity.

In conclusion, I take this opportunity to thank all my fellow committee members, including of course the deputy chair, Senator Ian Macdonald. I also thank the committee secretariat for their continued hard work in supporting us in our task. I want to particularly thank Dr John Bell, who has been a wonderful secretary to the committee and who will soon be leaving to undertake other responsibilities. The committee has had very high-level professional support from Dr Bell and we will all miss his wisdom and gentle kindness. We wish Dr Bell and his family well for the future. I also would like to congratulate and thank, once again, the Integrity Commissioner for a very good report. Thank you. (Time expired)

Debate adjourned.