Media Releases
Subscribe to the Minister's Media Email List
Unsubscribe to the Minister's Media Email List
Third Quarter 2008
- 16 July 2008 - Report into Role of National Capital Authority
I welcome today’s report by the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital Authority and thank Committee members for their hard work on this important matter. - 8 July 2008 - Drug Mules Risking Death
The Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, has warned people of the huge risk they face when attempting to smuggle drugs inside their bodies, after six internal drug detections at Australian airports and the hospitalisation of two people in the past 11 days. - 2 July 2008 - Extra AFP Personnel to Support East Timor
The Australian Government's commitment to developing a more effective police force for East Timor began today, with two Australian Federal Police personnel departing Australia under funding announced in the Budget. - 1 July 2008 - New contracts for Indigenous legal services
The Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, today congratulated Aboriginal Legal Services after the successful re-signing of new three year contracts.
Second Quarter 2008
- 30 June 2008 - High Powered Laser Ban Begins 1 July
The Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, said from tomorrow (1 July) it will be illegal to import high intensity hand-held laser pointers into Australia without a permit. - 30 June 2008 - Customs Stop Dangerous Shipment of Replica Guns
The Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, said Customs officers had stopped a large number of dangerous replica guns from hitting the streets of Darwin. - 27 June 2008 - Government to Hold Criminal Justice Forum
The Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, will host a National Forum in Canberra on Federal Criminal Justice on 29 September 2008. - 24 June 2008 - Future Directions for Norfolk Island Discussed
The Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, today met with the Norfolk Island Chief Minister, Andre Nobbs, to discuss the future administration challenges on the island. - 24 June 2008 - Government Consults on People Trafficking
The Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus said two days of discussions on Australia's approach to people trafficking had ended in Canberra today. - 23 June 2008 - Australia presents Anti-Corruption Report to OECD
The Commonwealth Government presented its formal response last week in Paris to a report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Australia's implementation of the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. - 18 June 2008 - Additional Funding for Aboriginal Legal Services
The Rudd Government has allocated more than $6.3 million in one-off funding for Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS) which will help them meet extra demand for legal assistance. - 10 June 2008 - Pacific Crime Coordination Centre opens in Samoa
The Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus will open the Pacific Transnational Crime Coordination Centre (PTCCC) in Apia, Samoa which will coordinate and analyse criminal intelligence data in the Pacific region. - 9 June 2008 - Queens Birthday Honours for AFP Members
Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus today congratulated two Australian Federal Police (AFP) members named in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. - 30 May 2008 - AUSTRAC CEO Appointed to Senior Role
The Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus has welcomed the appointment of AUSTRAC CEO Neil Jensen as the Chair of an international forum set up to fight money laundering and counter-terrorism financing. - 29 May 2008 - Importation of Laser Pointers Banned
A new regulation has been passed which will ban the importation of high intensity laser pointers, the Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus announced today. - 29 May 2008 - Bill Henson Photographs
Several online images of Bill Henson photographs from media websites reporting on the exhibition at the Rosyln Oxley9 gallery in Sydney have been referred to the Classification Board for classification. - 26 May 2008 - Grants Announced for Safer Suburbs
The Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus today announced nearly $6 million had been provided for the first round of funding under the Rudd Government’s Safer Suburbs Plan. - 22 May 2008 - CrimTrac Wins e-Award
The Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus has congratulated CrimTrac, after the agency took out the 2008 e-Award for Excellence in e-Government last night. - 21 May 2008 AFP to Move into New Headquarters
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) will move into new headquarters in the Edmund Barton Building in Canberra's Parliamentary precinct, the Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus announced today. - 20 May 2008 Crime Commission Opens New Base
The Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, today officially opened the Australian Crime Commission’s (ACC) new national headquarters in Canberra. - 19 May 2008 Government Welcomes Return of Mokbel
The Commonwealth Government has welcomed the return of fugitive Tony Mokbel, following his successful extradition from Greece, the Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus said today. - 16 May 2008 - Stolen Millions Returned to Singapore
Australia will repatriate stolen funds totalling $3.86 million to the Singapore Government under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, the Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus said today. - 16 May 2008 - AFP Commissioner Receives Top Award
The Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus has congratulated the Australian Federal Police Commissioner, Mick Keelty, on receiving Singapore’s Distinguished Service Order. - 15 May 2008 - $16 Million for Sea Cargo Inspections
Customs will receive an additional $16 million over the next four years as part of the Rudd Government's election commitment to increase its container examination capacity at four key regional seaports, the Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus said today. - 8 May 2008 - Government welcomes Mokbel decision
The Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus has welcomed a decision by the Government of Greece to approve the extradition of Melbourne fugitive Tony Mokbel. - 7 May 2008 - Trans-Tasman Ministerial Talks
Australia and New Zealand Customs have today committed to a series of initiatives that will further streamline travel and trade between the two countries. - 2 May 2008 - Special air freight charter to Christmas Island
A special air freight service has been commissioned to supply essential food items to Christmas Island, Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, said today. - 1 May 2008 - Coordinated patrol targets illegal fishing
Vessels from Australian Customs and the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries have completed a coordinated patrol targeting illegal fishing north of Australia, the Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus said today. - 30 April 2008 - Counterfeit products a health hazard
The Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus says a new website will help Australian consumers identify counterfeit goods which are potentially risking their health, compromising their safety and supporting organised crime. - 18 April 2008 - Additional funding for Aboriginal Legal Services
The Commonwealth Government has allocated an additional $4.9 million in one-off funding to support the operations of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (ATSILS). - 14 April 2008 - 15 Million Dollars for Safer Suburbs
The Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, has today taken the first step in delivering on the Government’s election commitment to provide $15 million for the Safer Suburbs Plan. - 7 April 2008 - New vessel to protect remote north-west waters
The fight against environmental degradation, illegal fishing and people smuggling in Australia’s remote north-west will be boosted with the new Australian Customs Vessel Ashmore Guardian set to become a permanent presence in the area. - 6 April 2008 - Government to ban the importation of lasers
The Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus says the Government will move to ban the importation of laser pointers following a high level meeting in Canberra this week.
First Quarter 2008
- 28 March 2008 - Minister to seek community views
The Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, today announced that community views would be sought on whether to introduce an R 18+ classification for computer games. - 27 March 2008 - New identity crime offences proposed
The Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, says he’ll be pushing the states and territories to introduce new laws which will help victims of identity theft to re-establish their credit histories. - 20 March 2008 - Customs officers given greater powers
The Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus says new laws have been introduced into Federal Parliament today which will strengthen border enforcement powers for Customs officers. - 13 March 2008 - National missing persons research released
Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus will today launch the Australian Institute of Criminology's Missing Persons in Australia report, the most definitive research produced on the subject in more than a decade. - 11 March 2008 - Minister to farewell one of Customs finest
The Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus has today made a presentation to Customs $27 million drug detection dog. - 7 March 2008 - Launch of online child protection tool
The Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus today launched the Child Exploitation Tracking System which would help police better protect children from online abuse. - 28 February 2008 - Oceanic Viking Returns to Australia
Customs vessel the Oceanic Viking has returned to Fremantle this morning after its successful mission monitoring Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean, Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus said today. - 14 February 2008 - CEO reappointed to Australian Crime Commission
Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus today announced the re-appointment of Mr Alastair Milroy as Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Crime Commission. - 14 February 2008 - Classification reforms to streamline advertising
The Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, today introduced legislation to Parliament that will simplify the National Classification Scheme for films, computer games and publications. - 6 February 2008 - Customs resumes cross border patrols with PNG
Officers from Customs and Queensland Police will visit villages in PNG and the Torres Strait in a move to increase border protection in the region, Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus announced today. - 16 January 2008 - Release of the Australian Crime Commission’s Annual Report
The Australian Crime Commission’s (ACC) Annual Report 2006-07 has revealed significant results in investigations and intelligence operations aimed at disrupting and dismantle organised crime syndicates in Australia.