#CPACONGRESS

E3: Strengthening integrity in a complex environment

Hawari Badri FCPA

Assistant Secretary, Department of Immigration and Border Protection and ACT President, CPA Australia

Friday 21 November 2014

2:15PM - 3:05PM

Current internal DIBP complexity

• Substantial MOG changes

• Continued tight fiscal environment

• Establishment of the Australian Border Force (ABF)

Why work together?

• Harnessing diversity for mutual benefit

• Creating efficiencies through innovation

• Increasing capacity through information sharing

• Developing relationships across government and internationally

• Governance, including legislation and regulation enhancements

How do we do this at DIBP?

• Biometrics and data sharing – Five Country Conference

• A regional approach to migration and national security

• National Border Targeting Centre

• Large scale joint criminal investigations

Five Country Conference (FCC)

Australia has information exchange arrangements with FCC member countries Canada, New Zealand, UK, and the US.

These arrangements have been covered under a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) framework.

FCC Operations

• Currently these checks are largely manual

• A new treaty with the US will allow automation of the process

• the automated capability can be accommodated through an upgraded MOU framework for Canada, New Zealand and the UK, however US law requires a binding Executive Agreement, which in the Australian context corresponds to a Treaty. 

• This highlights the importance of understanding each other’s language and legal frameworks

Working within a regional approachThis requires:

• Building strategic partnerships in the Asia-pacific region

• Creative diplomacy building on common interests

• Building trust and confidence through concrete initiatives

• Building on priorities identified in the Asian Century White Paper

Example – Document examination training

Large scale criminal investigations

Agencies involved:

• Australian Federal Police (AFP);• Australian Crime Commission (ACC);• Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS); • Australian Taxation Office (ATO);• Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC); • Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP);• Western Australia Police (WAPol); and • Western Australian Crime and Corruption Commission.

Large scale criminal investigations

Challenges:

• Different legal powers and desired operational outcomes

• Communication

• Scale of the operation

• Coordination of information

Large scale criminal investigationsOutcomes:• A successful, unprecedented operation• Over 100 unlawful non-citizens were located at properties of interest in

connection with syndicate

Benefits:• Key relationships were strengthened within DIBP locally (Investigations and

Compliance/Detention/Status Resolution staff) and with our partner agencies in the operation (in particular, ACC, WAPol and AFP).

• The outcome could not have been reached without involvement of all parties. The outcome benefits all parties.

• The Department was able to provide significant contribution to a law-enforcement activity which enhances our visa programmes and border security.

National Border Targeting Centre

Aims:

• to target high-risk international passengers and cargo

• to enable earlier and better informed risk assessments

• to build upon existing collaboration

• Start small

National Border Targeting Centre

Benefits:• enhanced information sharing• improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of border risk

assessment, transaction targeting and information collection.• improve the coordination of response activity where multiple

agencies have an interest in a passenger or cargo transaction• opportunities for connection with our B5 partners and the ability to

work collaboratively in real-time with existing B5 International Targeting Centres, in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and United Kingdom.

Working with other stakeholders means:

• it is easier to cope with demand

• you get a bigger and better result with minimal or no resourcing.

• you can develop innovative solutions you could not have achieved on your own

Questions