Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Attorney-General. According to the Australian Crime Commission, organised crime costs Australians $36 billion every year. That includes organised fraud and drug and human trafficking. In fact, drug trafficking accounts for $4.4 billion of that cost. But it is the human cost that concerns me, and it cannot be quantified. Ice use in Australia has almost doubled, and instead of smuggling across Australia's borders organised crime groups are now cooking up within Australia. We know that because ice manufacturers are shipping twice as many ingredients from China as they were two years ago. Regional Australia is particularly feeling the effects of increased ice use, using twice as much as the metropolitan users, whether that is because of fewer health and community services, higher rates of mental illness or convenience for organised crime groups. It is a problem, and it is getting worse. What is the government doing about dealing with organised crime at a federal level as it applies to drug trafficking?