Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I present the following reports of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement of the 47th Parliament: Examination of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission annual report 2023-24 and Examination of the Australian Federal Police annual report 2023-24.

Reports made parliamentary papers in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—I rise as Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement to present the committee's report from the 47th Parliament examining the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission's annual report of 2023-24. The report was presented out of session in the Senate in late March 2025 on the day before the prorogation of the previous parliament. The ACIC provides vital intelligence and policing information to protect Australia from serious criminal threats. The committee is charged with providing parliamentary oversight of the ACIC, which is especially important given the coercive powers available to the agency. As part of this work, the committee examines each ACIC annual report and raises a range of contemporary issues with its officials at a public hearing. I'm pleased to report that the committee did not identify any major areas of concern.

The committee's review highlighted several important areas of work being pursued by the ACIC, including the completion of tranche 1 of the National Criminal Intelligence System; the National Police Checking Service, which processed its largest number of checks since its establishment, with over 7.2 million in 2023-24; the integration of data into the Australian Firearms Information Network; and the creation of a national firearms register. The register is an important measure that will benefit law enforcement outcomes and improve community safety. The committee appreciates this is a complex and multifaceted initiative to provide real-time data which will uplift current state based systems, some of which are paper based. The committee will continue to monitor the progress of the program, which is expected to be operational in mid-2028.

The independent review of the ACIC was released in November 2024. The report stated that the ACIC is inhibited from fulfilling its intelligence mandate by a lack of clarity about its role, complicated legislative frameworks and uncertainty about its funding. The review's 29 recommendations provide a blueprint for comprehensive reform to the ACIC. This reform will modernise not only the commission itself but also its enabling legislation, the Australian Crime Commission Act 2002.

The committee also examined a range of other issues relating to the agency's performance, including its staff retention and employee census results. On the latter, the committee commends the ACIC for efforts in the area of staff wellbeing, with the recent census showing that wellbeing initiatives, including a staff counsellor, have been welcomed by staff. I commend the ACIC's officers for their valuable contribution to Australian law enforcement and community safety. I also thank them for their assistance with the committee's oversight process as well as my fellow committee members for their constructive approach to the committee's work. I commend the committee's report to the House.

I rise as the Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement to present the committee's report from the 47th Parliament examining the Australian Federal Police annual report for 2023-24. The report was presented out of session in the Senate in late March 2025, the day before the prorogation of the previous parliament. I'm pleased to report that the committee did not identify any major issues of concern.

As Australia's national policing agency, the AFP protects Australians and Australia's interests. Some key achievements in 2023-24 included the seizure of 31.3 tonnes of illicit drugs and precursors at the border or domestically, assisting overseas police to seize 41.8 tonnes of illicit drugs, and charging 318 people with criminal offences—121 people were charged as a result of child exploitation investigations.

The inclusion in the AFP's annual report of key operations as case studies is helpful to increase understanding of the complexity, length of time and co-operation required for some investigations. Operation Gain was a successful example of international co-operation. The AFP increased engagement with the Turkish authorities, which, with the assistance of the AFP, arrested 42 people, 18 of whom were high value to Australian law enforcement. Assets of more than $25 million were restrained by Turkey. The AFP's most important asset is its people, and the committee was updated on several initiatives to improve recruitment and wellbeing. The committee also received an update on the initiatives to meet the sworn female workforce target of 30 per cent by 2028, which was enforced in 2021. As at December 2024, the figure was at 26.6 per cent.

The SHIELD program commenced in 2021 and supports all past and present employees, reservists and others, and their families. It provides confidential, personalised care for all members, focusing on education and prevention, including regular health checks. The AFP told the committee that the SHIELD program has been well received. Given the importance of this program to staff wellbeing, the committee will use the next reporting period to focus on what direct measures and evaluation methodology are in place for SHIELD. In the next reporting period, the committee intends to look at the methodology for the annual staff surveys, as a full staff survey is only conducted every two years. In 2023, the survey focused on wellbeing. The committee will examine the approach to surveys, where some factors such as senior leadership and leadership, more generally, are only included every second year, and whether this approach will result in a timely response to emerging issues. This is particularly the case, as the survey did not occur in 2024 as planned.

I commend the AFP for continuing to perform well in a complex operating environment to protect the safety of Australians. I wish to thank the AFP officers who gave evidence to the committee and also my fellow committee members for their contribution to the committee's important oversight role. I commend the committee's report to the House.