Sam Dastyari (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Australian Crime Commission Amendment (National Policing Information Bill) 2016 and the Australian Crime Commission (National Policing Information Charges) Bill 2016, which will be debated as a package.

The purpose of the Australian Crime Commission Amendment (National Policing Information Bill) 2016 is to amend the Australian Crime Commission Act 2002 to merge CrimTrac and its functions into the Australian Crime Commission and make consequential amendments to other acts.

The purpose of the Australian Crime Commission (National Policing Information Charges) Bill 2016 is to provide a legislative basis for the ACC to charge for national policing information services. This package of bills is intended to implement a decision by the Law, Crime and Community Safety Council, on November 5 last year, that the Commonwealth take steps to merge the ACC and CrimTrac. The minister has stated that this merger unites:

Australia's national criminal intelligence and information capabilities under one banner.

I quote:

… having a unified resource would enrich the national understanding of criminal activity, including volume crimes (such as domestic violence) and serious and organised crime and terrorism—

this—

would allow police, justice agencies and policy makers at all levels of government to adopt a more effective, efficient and evidence-based response to crime.

Under the proposed merger CrimTrac will carry its functions over to the ACC, including its function of providing nationally coordinated criminal history checks. The CrimTrac board of management and the position of CrimTrac CEO will be abolished.

CrimTrac was established in 2000 under an intergovernmental agreement—an IGA—between the Commonwealth and state and territory governments to enhance Australian law enforcement, with an emphasis on information based policing facilitated through rapid access to detailed, current and accurate police information. The services CrimTrac provides include the National Police Checking Service criminal history checking, the National Child Offenders System—comprising the Australian National Child Offender Register and the Managed Person System—the National Police Reference System and the National Firearms Identification Database.

By providing access to information collated from police records around the country, CrimTrac aims to minimise opportunities for people to cross state borders and evade laws. The IGA establishes the broad objectives of CrimTrac and a board of management with representation from all jurisdictions.

I note that at 12.45 the Senate will be moving on to other business. I do want to note that I think this is an important piece of legislation. I think it is the type of legislation we should be spending more time debating and working on as a Senate. I do think it is unfortunate that the arrangements that have been made by the government as to the order of legislative business will perhaps mean that this bill will not be able to be fully debated and fully considered in the lead-up to the election. It is disappointing that a bill of this importance and significance has not been placed higher on the government's legislative agenda.

Debate interrupted.