Darren Cheeseman (Corangamite, 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 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.

Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Being a member of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, I too have some comments on the committee's report, Examination of the annual report of the Integrity Commissioner 2011-12.The report shows exemplary performance by the Integrity Commissioner and his staff. I think the organisation has been incredibly effective in addressing the new and expanded areas of responsibility which have been allocated to it by this parliament.

Since I have been on this committee, we have extended ACLEI's coverage from the Australian Federal Police and the ACC to include AUSTRAC, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre; CrimTrac, which does much of the database work for crime management; the biosecurity staff of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; and, as the chair of the committee just spoke about, the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. We understand that the role of ACLEI is expanding. As a consequence, the committee has recommended additional funding of $1.3 million over the next two years, starting from 2013-14.

As we move to target areas of potential security risk and crime risk in organs of government, it is clear to me that we are moving down a path towards the future formation of an independent commission against corruption covering all government agencies. I do not think that is a bad thing. I think we have a responsibility in this parliament to protect all organs of government—departments and statutory authorities that operate under federal guidance—against the intrusion of crime, particularly serious and organised crime. Much has been said about the recent issues involving the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, but that is an area which was considered high risk—and that is why the commission's role was extended to cover it.

When we look at the issue of corruption and at the various Commonwealth databases which can be used in crime management, it seems to me that fighting corruption does not start and stop with police, designated law enforcement agencies and border and security services. All government enterprises are exposed to the actions of those who aim to engage profitably in corrupt conduct. Regrettably, we are seeing that played out on quite a large scale in New South Wales at the moment.

I compliment Philip Moss, the commissioner, and his team. It is not a very large team but they have worked very effectively with the powers given to them by this parliament to monitor, to investigate and, where necessary, to run controlled operations to detect and disrupt corruption in government enterprises and departments. It is a very hard job. As I have said, it is not a very large team, but they have shown their dedication and commitment to duty. I think they have served this parliament with distinction.

I too would like to congratulate the Integrity Commissioner, Philip Moss, on the extension of his appointment for a further two years. I think that is warranted. He has taken ACLEI from the position where it was first established in respect of the Crime Commission and the Australian Federal Police into a new and expanding role. We do need to have a degree of stability while that develops. I am sure that members of this parliament would also have confidence in what he has been able to bring to bear in the last few years of his appointment. I support the report. Could I also congratulate the former chair of the committee, the member for Fremantle, Ms Parke, for the good work she has done in her time as head of the ACLEI committee. (Time expired)