The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement is established by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement Act 2010. Section 5 of the Act sets out the membership requirements of the committee, and section 6 provides for matters relating to powers and proceedings of the committee to be determined by resolution of both Houses of Parliament.

Under section 7, the functions of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement are as follows:

1. The Committee has the following functions:
   1. to monitor and to review the performance by the ACC of its functions;
   2. to report to both Houses of the Parliament, with such comments as it thinks fit, upon any matter appertaining to the ACC or connected with the performance of its functions to which, in the opinion of the Committee, the attention of the Parliament should be directed;
   3. 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;
   4. to monitor and to review the performance by the AFP of its functions;
   5. to report to both Houses of the Parliament, with such comments as it thinks fit, upon any matter appertaining to the AFP or connected with the performance of its functions to which, in the opinion of the Committee, the attention of the Parliament should be directed;
   6. to examine each annual report on the AFP and report to the Parliament on any matter appearing in, or arising out of, any such annual report;
   7. to examine trends and changes in criminal activities, practices and methods and report to both Houses of the Parliament any change which the Committee thinks desirable to the functions, structure, powers and procedures of the ACC or the AFP;
   8. to inquire into any question in connection with its functions which is referred to it by either House of the Parliament, and to report to that House upon that question.
      Note 1:       For the functions of the ACC, see section 7A of the Australian Crime Commission Act 2002.
      Note 2:       For the functions of the AFP, see section 8 of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979.
2. The functions of the Committee do not include:
   1. undertaking an intelligence operation or investigating a matter relating to a relevant criminal activity; or
   2. reconsidering the findings of the ACC in relation to a particular ACC operation/investigation (including an ACC operation/investigation that has been concluded); or
   3. reviewing sensitive operational information or operational methods available to the ACC or the AFP; or
   4. reviewing particular operations or investigations that have been, are being or are proposed to be undertaken by the ACC or the AFP; or
   5. reviewing information provided by, or by an agency of, a foreign government where that government does not consent to the disclosure of the information; or
   6. conducting inquiries into individual complaints about the activities of the ACC or the AFP; or
   7. monitoring, reviewing or reporting on the performance by the AFP of its functions under Part 5.3 of the Criminal Code.
3. To avoid doubt, the Committee may examine, and report to both Houses of the Parliament on, information given to it under section 8 or 9.