MINISTER BRENDAN O'CONNOR AND AFP COMMISSIONER TONY NEGUS - NEW STRUCTURE OF THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE
2 February 2010
Doorstop - Parliament House Senate Courtyard
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: The Australian Government places the highest priority on supporting the activities of the Australian Federal Police. As a result of this, the Government's commitment to strengthening the AFP, we have the most capable and the best equipped crime fighting organisation in the region. The Government has increased funding to the Australian Federal Police by $111 million this year.
In 2009/10, the AFP will receive funding of approximately $1.3 billion. We are restructuring elements of the AFP today as part of the implementation of the Beale Review of policing in Australia. We're also taking steps to improve the Australian Federal Police's capacity to combat organised crime.
The Australian Government, through the AFP and other agencies, is working with nations within the region - and around the world - to fight the illegal drug activity. The destruction of 15 tonne of safrole oil in Cambodia this week by the Australian Federal Police and local authorities is an excellent example of such cooperation putting a major dent in the drug trade. Safrole oil is a precursor to the illegal drug MDMA, otherwise known as ecstasy. The safrole oil when turned into ecstasy would have had a street value of approximately $6 billion.
Large scale seizure of precursor chemicals, such as safrole oil, in their source countries, can have a significant impact on the global production of amphetamines. I have every confidence in the men and women who make up the Australian Federal Police.
The events in Cambodia this week are further proof of the value of the Australian Federal Police.
I will now hand over to the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, Tony Negus, to go through the restructuring of that very important agency for this country, and also in relation to the action taken with the Cambodian local authorities to destroy these very dangerous products that could lead to, as I say, $6 billion of ecstasy on —in a street value sense.
Thank you.
TONY NEGUS: Thank you minister. The AFP today announced a new structure to fight organised crime. That structure is based on the recommendations coming out of the Beale Review, also based on the announcement before Christmas by the Attorney-General of the Government's organised crime structure. Now the AFP has been fighting organised crime for many decades, but we think this new structure will prepare us to fight it in a way which is more in keeping with a joint approach, working with our partners internationally and locally to best address the threats posed by organised crime.
QUESTION: Will there be any reallocation of resource?
There's new structure, but will you be sort of taking officers from, you know, other areas - CT or the IDG, or anything like that? And putting them over into the new areas?
TONY NEGUS: No, the AFP's commitment to counter-terrorism and the range of other functions that were charged with investigating will remain the same. This is a reallocation of resources from within our portfolios to focus on organised crime as a holistic process, rather than define it by drugs or fraud or money-laundering or something of a similar nature.
QUESTION: Is Phnom Penh emerging as a sort of Medellin on the Mekong?
TONY NEGUS: Phnom Penh's always been an important area for us. We have two full-time liaison officers working there. We've been there for many years. It's a matter of now continuing to work in that region - and throughout the whole of south-east Asia - to look at drug trafficking as a whole.
QUESTION: Is it fair - I mean, I'm sort of a bit confused about the budgetary situation. Have you really had your budget upgraded? Because some question that. Is there more money in there now?
TONY NEGUS: Well the AFP's budget has grown significantly over the last couple of years, and as the minister said we're now at over $1.3 billion as an agency.
We find that there is certainly new money coming in to the organisation.
There has been over the last 12 months, certainly in people smuggling and other components.
QUESTION: Tell us a little bit about you know, the threat from organised crime. Is it becoming - what sort of trends are you starting to see, is it becoming… I assume it's becoming sophisticated technology, and so on. What sort of keeps you up at night when you look at the, you know, the challenges that you talk about and the picture of organised crime.
TONY NEGUS: Yeah, certainly. Look, organised crime continues to reform and reshape as law-enforcement agencies become more adept at infiltrating and looking at the different aspects of organised crime. Then they'd then so change their methodologies to counter what we're doing.
It's about drugs. It's about fraud. It's about high-tech crime. It's about a range of different activities which now we see are very networked and very marketed amongst the criminal syndicates, rather than specifically looking at one particular crime type, they're very much multi-networked.
QUESTION: Do you think this change will have a major impact to start with - and perhaps trail off in years to come? Or is this a change for the long run?
TONY NEGUS: Well we see this as a change for the long run. I mean, one of the things about this new structure is that it's flexible in its nature. It's about forming organisational teams to investigate certain crimes. It's about collapsing those teams and moving those teams, using specialised resources when necessary.
So it's a very flexible model which is all about looking at the particular problem or the particular syndicate that we're investigating.
QUESTION: Ask about your dealings in terms of people smugglers? And what is the AFP doing abroad to deal with the issue of people smuggling - and how do you see the threat posed by, you know, attempted unauthorised entries into the country?
TONY NEGUS: The AFP, along with a range of other Government agencies - DIC, our customs and border protection command - are working closely together with our regional partners to look at where the illegal immigrants are coming from, what they're doing, how the organised criminal syndicates are profiting from this problem.
So it's a matter of we continue to work both onshore and offshore to make sure that we are dealing with it as best we can.
QUESTION: What's your assessment though of the numbers that are likely to be coming to Australia in the next few years. Do you think that basically an even bigger wave coming this way?
TONY NEGUS: Well, certainly, all the indications are that there are many troubled spots around the world and those people see Australia as a place that may offer a better life, so we don't anticipate that those things will stop any time soon.
QUESTION: There are also, you know, you've said there are people smuggling syndicates and operators who are facilitating the passage of all of these people. We've seen more people coming, is that because we're starting to see more syndicates and more organised crime groups move into that area and, you know, to make a profit out of it? You know, is that what your posts are telling you?
TONY NEGUS: Yeah, look, it's opportunistic in the way that it's supply and demand; when there are lots of people who would require to come to Australia then people move into the market.
We've made a number of arrests, both here in Australia and overseas, but it seems as though opportunistic criminals step into that void and then pick up that market demand.
QUESTION: Just back on the restructure, the restructuring of crime, for want of a better phrase. Could that potentially facilitate, in the near future, legislative changes or new legislation that you might need to enforce the changes and get these criminals?
TONY NEGUS: Look, as we - we continue to look at that very broadly, and if there are new laws required and, particularly in the area of high tech crime or cyber crime, we continue to evaluate what's required for us to do our job and talk to Government about that.
QUESTION: Can I ask the Minister about [indistinct] how you see the situation at the moment, is Christmas Island going to be full any time soon?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Firstly, I agree with the Commissioner, as a result of conflicts around the world, as a result of the bloody civil war in Sri Lanka, the very violent conflict in Afghanistan, we've seen a greater number of people seeking asylum in first world countries, most of which seek to go to Europe but, of course, some have sought to come to Australia and that won't necessarily abate soon, but we have dedicated more resources in border protection than any previous government, and we'll continue to intercept those vessels and ensure they are taken to be properly processed for health, identity and security reasons, at Christmas Island.
In relation to Christmas Island, we, as a result of this surge—one of many surges that occurred over the last 20 years—we are having to deal with the requirements of accommodation. The Minister for Immigration has made a number of decisions to increase and expand the accommodation capacity of Christmas Island Detention Centre, and we will continue to ensure that there are contingencies in place on the island, to ensure that is the place that irregular arrivals will be taken.
Of course, the Minister for Immigration has made clear that we will consider other options if required, but at this point we are managing this in a manner that is providing sufficient capacity on Christmas Island, and we will continue to ensure that there's mandatory detention of irregular arrivals, so that the proper screening is occurs, for each and every person that seeks to come to our shores.
QUESTION: What do you make of Opposition claims that Christmas Island Detention Centre is too good, the facilities are too good and that is encouraging boat people to come here as well?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: I haven't seen the Opposition say that. I noticed that Senator Fielding did make a remark upon the facilities.
Can I say to you, I've inspected, some time ago, the amenities at Christmas Island Detention Centre, and believe that they are fulfilling the requirements in terms of the appropriate way in which to treat people.
We have to assess whether, in fact, these irregular arrivals are genuine refugees. But let's, for the purpose of this question, assume that some are genuine refugees, then we need to treat them humanely. We need to treat people with respect while also dedicating our efforts to dismantling organised criminal syndicates who seek to prey on such people.
So I believe that the amenities are adequate and we will continue to ensure that there's accommodation available if there are further arrivals in the foreseeable future.
Thanks everyone.
