Aussie super ministry to tackle terror
Domestic spy agency, federal police, customs and immigration to become one office
Facing “serious threats” to its security, Australia created a super-ministry and announced a sweeping overhaul of the country’s law enforcement, intelligence and security arrangements on Tuesday to combat the menace of terrorism.
The new super-ministry will combine the domestic spy agency, the federal police and customs and immigration departments into one office, and will be headed by immigration minister Peter Dutton.
The portfolio will be modelled on the UK Home Office.The announcement was made by Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Canberra, who said that “it is the most significant reform of Australia’s national intelligence and domestic security arrangements and their oversight in more than 40 years”
The reforms will restructure and strengthen Australia’s Intelligence Community, establish a home affairs portfolio and enhance the attorneygeneral’s oversight of Australia’s intelligence, security and law enforcement agencies.
According to an official statement, Australia was facing an increasingly complex security environment, evolving threats from terrorism and organised crime, and the development of new and emerging technologies, including encryption and in view of these developments, the PM had announced a review of Australia’s intelligence community last year.
The review concluded that Australia’s intelligence agencies were highly capable and staffed by skilled officers but also made many important recommendations to transform these agencies into a world-class intelligence community.
The review highlighted how changing security threats and technologies were driving the need for closer cooperation between our domestic security and law enforcement agencies.
“Government believes that the evolving and complex threats to Australia’s security require more enduring and better integrated intelligence and domestic security arrangements,” the statement said, adding “We have accepted the recommendations of the Australian intelligence community review as a sound basis to reform Australia’s intelligence arrangements”.
Australia will establish an Office of National Intelligence, headed by a director of national intelligence, and transform the Australian Signals Directorate into a statutory agency within the Defence portfolio. It will also establish a home affairs portfolio of immigration, border protection and domestic security and law enforcement agencies.