20 May 2008
CRIME COMMISSION OPENS NEW BASE
The Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, today officially opened the AustralianCrime Commission’s (ACC) new national headquarters in Canberra.
The 3,000m2 purpose built building, located in Braddon, is the new administrative and intelligence hub for the ACC housing more than 190 staff. The ACC also hasregional offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin and Alice
Springs.
Mr Debus said the new headquarters shows the Government’s commitment to ensuring Australia’s law enforcement agencies are equipped with the necessary facilities and resources to combat nationally significant crime.
“Organised crime in Australia is difficult to quantify however the ACC estimates that it costs in excess of $10 billion every year,” Mr Debus said.
“The Government actively supports the contribution the ACC makes in working with other law enforcement agencies to disrupt and dismantle organised crime in Australia and by having specialised headquarters, they have a start-of-the-art base to continue this important work.”
Mr Debus said the building included new technologies to achieve the best energy ratings for buildings.
“The new ACC National Headquarters building has been constructed to achieve a five star green star rating and a five star Australian Building Greenhouse Rating(ABGR). The ACC is also seeking to achieve a 4.5 star ABGR rating for the fit out.”
The building design maximises usable daylight, through a sophisticated lighting system, to reduce the amount of energy needed for lighting in the building. The building is also equipped with a chilled beam air-conditioning system which cuts down greenhouse emissions by 30 per cent with solar water heating further reducing the demand for electricity and greenhouse emissions.
The complex has been constructed with 100 per cent recycled or sustainable timber. Rain water is also harvested for toilet flushing and for garden irrigation and sensor lighting has been installed to further maximise energy savings and reduce emissions.
ACC Chief Executive Officer Alastair Milroy said it was important for the agency to have a national headquarters that not only lessened the impact on the environment but also promoted communication.
“The new office has been designed to improve functionality, respect privacy, minimise stress and be as kind to the environment as possible. It has also been designed to ensure universal access to natural light and create links to the environment by introducing as much of the external surroundings as possible,” Mr Milroy said.
For further information on the ACC’s new National Headquarters please find attached an information sheet detailing key features of the facility.
Media Contact: Samantha Wills 0448 721 372