Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise as Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement to speak about the committee's report Examination of the Australian Federal Police annual report 2022-23. One of the committee's key roles is to provide an oversight of the AFP by examining each of the AFP's annual reports. The role recognises that agencies which have been granted strong coercive powers, such as the Australian Federal Police, should be subject to additional oversight.

The committee is pleased to report that it has not identified any major areas of concern. The AFP met almost all of its performance criteria during the reporting period.

The committee recognises the increasing complexity and long lead times of some Australian Federal Police cases which did not fit neatly into an annual report period. The inclusion of case studies containing the details of particular operations is therefore helpful to illustrate this aspect of police work.

In 2022-23 the AFP:

The committee recently tabled its report on its inquiry into law enforcement capabilities in relation to child exploitation. At its public hearing on the AFP's annual report, the committee followed up with the AFP about the ongoing work in this area.

As noted in its report, the committee shares the concerns of the Australian Federal Police in relation to the effect of encryption on reporting child exploitation. The AFP Commissioner, Mr Kershaw, was very clear that the move towards encryption will be one of the biggest issues they face when it comes to offences committed online including child exploitation. The committee will continue to monitor this area to see if there is, as expected, a drop in reporting as a result of encryption.

The committee recently commenced an inquiry into the capabilities of law enforcement to respond to cybercrime, so this will be an area of focus for the committee over the next reporting period.

The committee spoke to the AFP about the results of the 2022 staff survey which pointed to areas for improvement, particularly in relation to communications. The AFP outlined steps taken to improve the results, and the committee will be reviewing the 2023 staff survey to see whether these actions have resulted in improved results.

The committee was pleased to hear of the continued rollout and uptake of the SHIELD program, which is the AFP's main support service for staff.

I commend the AFP for continuing to perform well in the service of the Australian community. I also wish to thank the AFP officers who gave evidence to the committee, as well as my fellow committee members for their contribution to the committee's important scrutiny work. I would also like to place on record our committee's appreciation for the secretariat, for their contribution to this important work.

I would also like to speak about the committee's examination of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission'sannual report 2022-23. ACIC bears an important responsibility in relation to Australian law enforcement. Its stated purpose is 'To protect Australia from serious criminal threats by collecting, assessing and disseminating intelligence and policing information'.

Recognising that the ACIC has been granted strong coercive powers, the committee examines each ACIC annual report as part of its ongoing parliamentary oversight.

The 2022-23 annual report is broadly positive regarding the ACIC's performance. For instance, during the reporting period:

The annual report also highlights the completed transition to the NAFIS NextGen, which is an improved fingerprint-matching capability. In addition, the ACIC recently established the Fraud Fusion Centre to help to counter exploitation of government programs by serious and organised crime.

A key interest of this committee is the National Firearms Register. In December 2023, National Cabinet agreed to work together to ensure the register is fully operational within four years. The ACIC will be responsible for providing the technical arm of the program—that is, the register itself—and officials reported that work on this is well under way.

The committee will closely monitor the ACIC's progress, considering that a national register will greatly benefit not only law enforcement but also our community safety. The committee observed that the ACIC fully met seven of its performance criteria; subsequently, it met three and partially met three. The committee acknowledges that the ACIC's rationale in relation to the targets were not fully met, and it is positive that the ACIC is already implementing measures to redress some of the shortcomings, such as improvements to the National Police Checking Service.

Further matters are discussed in the committee's report, but on behalf of the committee I thank the former CEO of ACIC, Mr Michael Phelan APM, whose five-year term as CEO concluded on November 2022. I also thank Mr Matthew Rippon, who acted as CEO until recently while a selection process was undertaken. I welcome the incoming CEO, Ms Heather Cook, and I look forward to the contribution she will make to the ACIC and the Australian law enforcement. I thank the ACIC for providing a satisfactory annual report and look forward to the committee's ongoing oversight of the agencies. I commend this report to the Senate, along with the annual report of the Australian Federal Police, and note the very important work that both of these organisations do in combating organised crime and protecting the Australian community.