Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, I present the committee's report entitled Review of administration and expenditure No. 23 (2023-24)—Australian intelligence agencies.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—This annual review is undertaken in accordance with the committee's statutory responsibilities under the Intelligence Services Act 2001. It examines the administration, expenditure and financial statements of the six agencies that make up Australia's National Intelligence Community, the NIC—ASIO, ASIS, AGO, DIO, ASD and the Office of National Intelligence.

The committee's review is part of a strict oversight and accountability framework within which these agencies operate. Their public reporting is necessarily limited to protect sensitive capabilities and operations, so this annual parliamentary review is an important mechanism by which the parliament receives assurance on these agencies' governance, resource stewardship and administration.

The committee sought evidence on each agency's performance against its objectives, its budget situation and the health and integrity of its financial statements. This included examination of strategic priorities, organisational governance, risk management practices, workforce capability, security arrangements and major ICT and information-sharing initiatives. Submissions also covered the impact of the legislative changes on agency operations, workforce pressures in specialist fields, recruitment and retention challenges, and the coordination of intelligence activities across the NIC.

The committee received detailed material from all six intelligence agencies as well as from the Australian National Audit Office and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security. Classified hearings assisted the committee in discharging its obligations while ensuring national security was maintained.

The report highlights the sustained high tempo at which intelligence agencies continue to operate and the importance of ensuring that administrative systems, governance structures and financial management remain robust. The committee notes the ongoing modernisation efforts across the NIC, including work to strengthen shared systems, enhance ICT platforms and uplift workforce capability in response to emerging national security challenges.

Although much of the committee's work understandably occurs in classified settings, the outcomes reflected in this report demonstrate that the parliament, through the committee, continues to exercise strong bipartisan oversight of intelligence administration and expenditure. This oversight is essential to maintaining public trust in agencies whose work, by necessity, is largely unseen.

The committee thanks all agencies, officials and oversight bodies for their cooperation throughout this review. Their engagement supports not only the committee's work but the broader accountability framework that underpins the operation of Australia's intelligence community.

I commend the report to the House.