Chris Hayes (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am happy to follow the member for La Trobe in speaking on the report by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Crime Commission. He is a very good deputy chair of this committee and, being a former police officer, understands full well some of the issues that go directly to law enforcement. This report is on the Australian Crime Commission’s annual report, which does require the oversight of the joint committee. I think it is fair to say that the committee agrees with the increased efficiency and operational services as reported by the commission. Generally, the commission has continued to refine and improve its intelligence and information systems and services, which are well received by clients of the commission—namely, the respective police forces around the country and the other law enforcement agencies which subscribe to the ACC.

In terms of the operations of the Australian Crime Commission, it is worth reporting that the ACC has significantly disrupted and deterred much serious organised crime activity over the past 12 months with its conducting of six special intelligence operations, four special investigations and three intelligence operations and task forces. In particular it is worth mentioning the enhancement of Australian criminal intelligence databases, the production of the Organised crime in Australia product, the launch of the high-quality Illicit drug data report and the establishment of the National Indigenous Violence and Child Abuse Intelligence Task Force. These things have taken much of the time of ACC personnel.

I agree fully with the two recommendations made by the joint parliamentary committee. As the member for La Trobe indicated, they were made on a bipartisan basis, supported by all members of the committee. I would also like to join with him in expressing my concern about the general lack of communications on some aspects between the commission itself and the oversighting body, that being the committee.

I think it has got to be understood by the Australian Crime Commission that it has very special and extraordinary powers. It has coercive powers, powers which are not common in most law enforcement agencies. But what goes with those powers is a great degree of responsibility. As a consequence, the decision was taken that part of that responsibility for the exercise of these powers would be the general oversight by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the ACC. The committee is not there as some form of bureaucratic appendage—a box that must be ticked once a year. It is really there to fulfil, I suppose, those extraordinary powers that this parliament in its wisdom decided to vest in the premier crime fighting organisation in this country.

It seems to me that what has occurred over the last 12 months is that perhaps we were not taken into their confidence. We are not there as investigators, we are not there to simply ask questions to gain information out of these professional investigators. We are there to fulfil our role on behalf of the community. From my point of view, and supported by my colleagues, I think there was a slight tendency for the organisation to think, ‘If you do not ask, you do not receive.’ I am sure that that is now being addressed. The committee has certainly made some significant comments to that effect, and I certainly lend my weight to those.

I would like to comment on our secretariat, Dr Jacqueline Dewar, Dr Robyn Clough, Ms Monika Sheppard and Mrs Jill Manning. We are fortunate to have a very talented, dedicated group of professional officers serving on this committee. These people work very hard to make us look probably better than what we are. They certainly put a lot of time and effort in, and I admire their professionalism. We are very lucky as a parliament to have access to people such as these for our parliamentary committee activities. I think where possible their effort should be appropriately recognised. I commend the report to the House.

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