Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, I present two reports of the committee and seek leave to move a motion in relation to the reports.

Leave granted.

I move:

That the Senate take note of the reports.

I seek leave to incorporate tabling statements in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The statements read as follows—

PARLIAMENTARY JOINT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY

ANNUAL REPORT OF COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES 2006-2007

CANBERRA         13 AUGUST 2007

Mr President, on behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security I have pleasure in presenting the Committee’s report entitled Annual Report of Committee Activities 2006-2007.

Mr President, the Committee completed another full and productive year scrutinising terrorism legislation and aspects of the administration and expenditure of the intelligence agencies. As the work and volume of the intelligence agencies increase so too does the work of the Committee.

The fourth review of administration and expenditure focused on recruitment and training. The intelligence agencies have been rapidly recruiting staff in order to provide more security and counter-terrorism capability. The Committee found that, in a competitive market place, increasing and retaining staff was challenging and that timely security clearances remained an inhibition to recruitment.

A significant challenge for the agencies was the recruitment of sufficient numbers of people with necessary language skills. The Committee concluded that language training remains one of the most difficult and expensive areas of training for the intelligence agencies. The agencies demonstrated that various initiatives are being devised to lessen and, it is hoped, eventually overcome these difficulties. Overall, the committee was satisfied that the agencies were managing their expansion.

The other major inquiry of 2006 was the statutory review of the security and counter terrorism legislation. The Committee’s review followed and took into account the report of the Security and Legislation Review Committee (the Sheller Committee). The Committee made 26 recommendations and, in particular, recommended the appointment of an independent reviewer of terrorism law in Australia. Under the recommendation, the Committee would examine the reports of the Independent Reviewer.

During the review period, the Committee tabled four reports on the listing of terrorist organisations. The four reports dealt with the re-listing of 14 organisations. Procedural issues relating to consultations with the States and Territories and the nature of the information provided to the Committee remain a concern in all these reviews.

In addition to these reports, the Committee also commenced its inquiry into the operations, effectiveness and implications of the terrorist organisation listing provisions of the Criminal Code and the fifth review of administration and expenditure. The reports of these inquiries will be tabled in the next reporting period.

On behalf of the Committee, I take this opportunity to thank and commend Mrs Margaret Swieringa for her excellent support as Secretary of the Committee from 2002 to June 2007. Margaret provided professional advice and support of the highest standard and the Committee wishes her well in her future endeavours.

In addition, the Committee notes the passing of Mr Alan Taylor, AM, career diplomat and former Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service from 1998 to 2003. He was, until recently, Chairman of the Board of the Australia-Indonesia Institute, where he continued his career-long contribution to Australia’s international relations. Mr Taylor was instrumental in advancing and implementing the Intelligence Services Act 2001. During this process, Mr Taylor appeared before the Joint Select Committee on the Intelligence Services where he gained the respect and acknowledgement of all members of the Committee.

In conclusion, and on behalf of the Committee, I would like to thank all those who have contributed to the work of the Committee during the past year.

Mr President, I commend the report to the Senate.

Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security

13 August 2007

PARLIAMENTARY JOINT COMMITTEE ON INTELL-IGENCE AND SECURITY

REVIEW OF ADMINISTRATION AND EXPENDITURE NO.5: AUSTRALIAN INTELLIGENCE ORGANISA-TIONS

SENATOR ALAN FERGUSON

CANBERRA 13 AUGUST 2007

Mr President, on behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security I have pleasure in presenting the Committee’s report entitled Review of Administration and Expenditure No.5: Australian Intelligence Organisations.

Mr President, the fifth review of administration and expenditure is the first full review conducted under Section 29 of the Intelligence Services Act 2005 of the administration and expenditure of the six intelligence agencies, since the act was amended in December 2005 to include ONA, DIO and DIGO within the Committee’s oversight. The Committee has a statutory obligation to review the financial statements for all AIC agencies.  This review broadly looked at all aspects of the administration and expenditure of the six intelligence and security agencies.

All the intelligence and security agencies have, over the last several years, undergone structural reorganisation to varying degrees, to enable them to absorb recent growth in the most effective way.  During the current review, the Committee found that for some agencies this has entailed a significant reorganisation, to build-up various sections to better serve the whole organisation and to deal with emerging needs, while other agencies have absorbed increased staff numbers into the existing structure with little structural change.  All the agencies satisfied the Committee that they are mindful of the pitfalls of dealing with substantially increased budgets and each is taking measures to manage budget growth appropriately. 

Agencies are working hard to meet recruitment targets in a highly competitive labour market and agencies face the additional challenge of recruiting staff who are able to meet the stringent Commonwealth security standards.  Agency Heads told the Committee that it is foremost in their minds that rapid growth could negatively impact the agency’s work if not handled very carefully.  All agencies demonstrated to the Committee that they are expending a considerable amount of their resources to attract and then retain, the right staff for their agency.

Agencies continue to make training and development of staff a high priority and in most agencies training budgets have steadily increased, in some cases very substantially.  Agencies outlined to the Committee a range of improvements that they have made to their training programmes over the past twelve months. Agencies noted that with so many new staff, average experience levels will be lower in the short term.  To counter the effects of this experience gap, agencies are putting extra emphasis on training programs for new starters in the early stages of their employment.  Additionally, several agencies noted that they are directing extra effort into leadership training.  The Committee is satisfied that agencies are making a concerted effort to match their increasing staff numbers with appropriate training programmes to ensure that the agency has a highly skilled workforce which is capable of meeting the high standards of each agency.

During the previous Administration and Expenditure Review agencies explained in detail their strategies for augmenting and retaining their linguistic capability.  Updates during the current hearings demonstrated to the Committee that those agencies which rely on linguistic capability continue to explore all avenues for attracting, recruiting, training and retaining highly skilled linguists.

The Committee found that recent legislative changes to the Intelligence Services Act and other Acts which have relevance to certain areas of agency operations, have impacted on agencies to varying degrees but no agency felt negatively impacted by recent legislative changes.  On the contrary, agencies generally felt that legislative changes have improved their ability to operate.  In general, agencies noted that they are developing, or have developed, processes to ensure compliance with relevant legislative changes and the Committee is satisfied that each is managing the impacts of recent legislative changes adequately and appropriately.

Due to the high standard of submissions and the evidence given at the hearings, the Committee has increased its knowledge of the finance and expenditure activities of the intelligence and security agencies.  The Committee found nothing in the evidence provided to raise concerns about the existing financial management within any of the agencies.  Agencies discussed the challenges they have faced and continue to face—handling considerably increased budgets in conjunction with, in most cases, rapidly increasing staff numbers.

In conclusion, and on behalf of the Committee, I would like to thank the Head of each agency and their staff for their on-going cooperative approach to the work of the Committee.

Mr President, I commend the report to the Senate.

Senator Alan Ferguson

Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security

13 August 2007

Question agreed to.