Chapter 1


Chapter 1

Introduction

Committee's duty to examine reports

1.1        The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement (the committee) has a statutory duty to examine each annual report of the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) under the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement Act 2010 (the Act).

1.2        This is the fourth time that the committee has examined the annual report of the ACC since the widening of the committee's jurisdiction in 2010. Subsection 7(1) of the Act includes the following functions of the committee in relation to the ACC:

...(c) to examine each annual report on the ACC and report to the Parliament on any matter appearing in, or arising out of, any such annual report...[1]

Purpose

1.3        The duty of the committee to examine annual reports of the ACC under the Act stems from an expectation that agencies which have been granted strong coercive powers, like the ACC and Australian Federal Police (AFP) should be subject to additional oversight. At the time of the introduction of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement Bill 2010, the then Attorney-General noted that the bill would exemplify the 'commitment to improving oversight and accountability in relation to the exercise of the functions of Commonwealth agencies.'[2]

Report under consideration

1.4        The ACC's Annual Report 2013-14 (the annual report) was presented to the Minister for Justice, the Hon Michael Keenan MP, on 12 September 2014. It was tabled in the Senate on 27 October 2014[3] and in the House of Representatives on 26 November 2014.[4]

Examination of the annual report

1.5        In examining the ACC annual report, the committee held a public hearing at Parliament House, Canberra on 11 February 2015. The witnesses who appeared before the committee are listed in Appendix 1.

Structure of the committee report

1.6        The committee's report comprises the following chapters:

  • Chapter 2 examines ACC compliance with annual report requirements and the ACC's financial management;
  • Chapter 3 considers the ACC's performance against its Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); and
  • Chapter 4 details issues raised with the ACC in the hearing, as well as major operational information of interest to the committee over the reporting period.

Acknowledgements

1.7        The committee notes that this is the first annual report provided by the ACC's new CEO, Mr Chris Dawson APM, who commenced his role as CEO on 28 April 2014.[5]

1.8        The committee thanks the previous CEO, Mr John Lawler, for his contributions and insights provided throughout his tenure as CEO of the Crime Commission.[6]

1.9        The committee acknowledges the work of Mr Paul Jevtovic, who was acting CEO of the ACC from mid October 2013 to early April 2014.[7]

1.10      The committee also acknowledges the cooperation of the ACC officials who assisted the committee in conducting its examination.

Note on references

1.11      References to the committee Hansard are to the proof Hansard. Page numbers may vary between the proof and the official Hansard.

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