E&OE......................................................................................................................................
Thank you very much Mr Palmer, Mr Chairman, ladies and gentlemen.
It is my pleasure to welcome the delegates who represent some 34
different countries to this 15th Asian Regional Conference of Interpol.
I particularly welcome your President Mr Kanemoto and your Secretary
General Mr Kendall.
In this the 75th anniversary year of the formation of Interpol
I record my own personal thanks and those of the Australian people
for the work that Interpol has done in the cause of worldwide law
enforcement over that 75 year period.
As you are aware Australia is a long-standing member of Interpol.
We are very pleased to have played a constructive role in its extensive
history as an assembly of police organisations promoting police
co-operation throughout the world. Our support for Interpol remains
strong and we look forward to its continued development as a first
class international organisation.
Australia is very grateful for the opportunity of hosting this
Asian Regional Conference which was last held in my country in 1991.
In doing so, I pay particular tribute to the Commissioner of the
Australian Federal Police, Mr Mick Palmer. It is a personal credit
to you Mr Palmer that this conference is being staged here in Australia.
It is also to your great credit that you were unanimously elected
as a delegate for Asia on Interpol's Executive Committee for
the next three years. Your election to this post is also a credit
to your force, the Australian Federal Police, and the important
role that the AFP plays in the fight against crime both in Australia
and in the region.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is an opportunity for me as Prime Minister
of Australia to address some words of gratitude, very directly,
to all serving police officers in Australia. I do so conscious of
the fact that in recent times some police services in this country
have come under some criticism. And I want, against that background,
all of the police personnel in Australia to know that the great
bulk of their fellow Australians deeply appreciate what they do
to protect our lives and our property. A strong police force based
on complete integrity is indispensable to the kind of civilised
society we have here in Australia.
Despite the misdeeds of some who have brought undeserved opprobrium
on the ranks of their colleagues I know that the overwhelming majority
of men and women within police ranks in Australia are dedicated,
hard working, honest Australians who are performing a splendid task
in contributing to our community. And I take this opportunity on
this platform, in opening this gathering, to express my personal
thanks and that of my Government to them and to wish them well in
their very important work for the goodwill and the benefit of all
Australians.
By protecting individuals, families and businesses against crime
police officers protect the national interest. But law enforcement
agencies protect the national interest in other, perhaps less visible
ways.
The desirability of a country like Australia as an economic destination
depends not solely upon the strength of its economic foundations
but also upon the security of those foundations. Organisations such
as the Australian Federal Police, the Customs Service, the National
Crime Authority and the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis
Centre protect the integrity of data flows, banking infrastructure,
financial and other telecommunications links.
When this is added to transparency in political decision making,
law enforcement agencies can contribute to strong business confidence.
I noted in a recent issue of the Far Eastern Economic Review last
month a survey of business investors which listed Australia as the
best place to invest in in the region this year. The contribution
of law enforcement agencies in securing the integrity of our economic
foundations can only add to this perception.
I understand that at Interpol's 66th general assembly session
last year your President identified some key areas of focus in the
fight against transnational crime. He said that regional programmes
were needed to complement this fight and that greater use of technology
and telecommunications were also important.
The theme of your conference recognises the importance of regional
arrangements to ensure the success of global activity. The failure
to appreciate differences in culture and society often mean that
some arrangements, while designed for global application, only succeed
to reflect a regional disposition.
This conference will no doubt consider this issue.
Transnational crime is now a serious security issue which has been
recognised by Interpol's new observer status at the United
Nations. But there is only so much that governments can do either
in isolation or collectively. Treaties may be important but all
the agreements in the world cannot replace the indispensability
of co-operation between law enforcement professionals. You, as individual
police professionals, will always be the most important element
in defeating international crime.
Perhaps the most tangible demonstration of this co-operation is
of course your organisation, Interpol.
Crime does not recognise national let alone international boundaries.
Worse still, criminal activity takes direct advantage of those boundaries.
In Australia we have identified the need for formal co-operation
of our law enforcement agencies to cope with this problem. We have
developed several national organisations including the National
Crime Authority and others based upon mutual assistance and an extended
professional police relationship to help overcome difficulties.
The connection between our police agencies in Australia is a strong
one, exemplified, if in no other way, by the composition of the
Australian delegation here today.
Internationally the Australian Federal Police now has over 30 officers
working full time overseas in liaison positions including one attached
to Interpol.
My Government has a very keen eye to an Australian Federal Police
force ready to tackle the crimes in an increasingly globalised world
of the 21st century.
In that context and against that background my Government will
shortly appoint an independent expert to assess the resourcing needs
of the Australian Federal Police in the light of a strategic review
of the challenges facing federal law enforcement.
That person will be required to report within three to four months,
to ensure that longer term funding for the Australian Federal Police
is given a sound foundation as soon as possible.
This will result in a new budget charter for the Australian Federal
Police.
Australia deserves a Commonwealth law enforcement agency that is
second to none in the world.
A reform process to enable the AFP to develop into such an agency
is underway, but it will not succeed unless resourcing decisions
are geared to the vision we have for the AFP.
Last year, my Government commissioned a study by the accountants
Deloittes to look at AFP resource management practices. Their report
makes clear that there is a need for additional funds in the short
term, in particular for accruing superannuation liabilities which
have been eating into operational funds and of that the Government
will have more to say shortly. It is also apparent that, for the
long term, a new process for better linking funding to the Government's
law enforcement priorities is needed.
For the longer term we have to ensure that the resources we give
to the AFP will equip it to fight the kind of crime we will face
in the next century.
My Government will ensure that the AFP is adequately resourced
to meet the challenges of the 21st century and looks forward to
receiving the recommendations of the forthcoming strategic review.
I note, Mr Chairman, that the Conference will be discussing the
scourge of drugs and the threat it presents to the citizens of the
region and indeed the people of the world. All parents, let alone
law enforcement officers, understand that the abuse of drugs is
a very serious issue confronting us all, here in Australia, within
our region and around the world.
The production and distribution of drugs is increasing across the
globe. The illicit drug trade is now an international, multi-billion
dollar enterprise with its undisclosed and untaxed profits rivalled
by few industries. Estimates of the size of the illicit drug trade
range from US $300-$500 billion of the United States per annum.
International criminal networks are becoming increasingly sophisticated
with greater access to the latest technologies for both the concealment
and smuggling of drugs as well as the proceeds of their crimes.
It should not be forgotten, however, that the drug problem is above
all a very human one. In this country alone there were 634 heroin
related deaths in 1996. Illicit drugs are associated with over 40,000
hospital bed days each year in Australia and spending on illicit
drugs now amounts to over $7 billion Australian dollars a year.
More than those statistics however, the drug problem is about real
people with broken lives and broken homes. It's about families
who want so much to care and face terrible odds in trying to do
so. It's also about professionals in the field such as law
enforcement agencies both here and abroad who have vital role to
play in stemming the tide.
Last year my Government demonstrated its moral leadership on this
issue by announcing its strategy "Tough on Drugs" - a
plan which ensures that this very real social problem is one which
we all have a stake in addressing.
The plan balanced efforts to intercept drug traffickers with fresh
and additional resources for education, treatment and research.
We are committed to a rigorous school education campaign aimed
at zero tolerance for drugs.
From young people who have been targeted by drug dealers to their
families who have had to rebuild shattered lives - drugs have a
devastating affect on them all.
Tough on Drugs is an integrated and comprehensive national effort.
It combats the drug barons with $43 million additional resources
to intercept illicit drugs at our borders and within Australia.
It provides an additional $14 million to warn our young people
and the wider community about the extreme danger of illicit drugs.
And it responds to those with special needs - the drug users with
almost $30 million to support front line professionals such as doctors
and hospital staff, counsellors, researchers and new non-government
treatment facilities.
Law enforcement against drug crimes must also respond to the challenges
of the latest technologies. Our funding of a National Heroin Signature
Programme to identify the trafficking patterns of heroin is therefore
important as are funds to improve research into drug-crime links.
We have also enhanced the Australians Transaction Reports and Analysis
Centre's capacity to monitor suspicious financial transactions
and add to a sophisticated armoury targeted against dug traffickers.
I know from my discussions with Mr Palmer that Interpol will play
a vital role in the wider regional context is supporting our own
police forces and other law enforcement agencies as we strengthen
the fight against drug trafficking.
Just as the Government has acted upon the impact of drugs on the
lives of Australians so too has it worked to reform gun laws in
this country. I note that you will be discussing the subject of
firearms regulations during the course of your deliberations.
This is a subject of which Australia is sadly now very familiar.
Almost two years ago in an otherwise tranquil corner of Australia
there was a tragic event where a lone gunman took the lives of 35
innocent people at the barrel of a semi-automatic weapon. That our
freedom from such an awful crime could be so cruelly shattered touched
every Australian and reverberated throughout the world.
It also generated a timely, yet measured response which was supported
by all major political parties across the Australian spectrum and
by the overwhelming bulk of the Australian community. The agreement
of Australian Police Ministers brought about national crime prevention
legislation which outlawed semi-automatic weapons.
We acted in a lasting, effective and unified way after proper negotiations
with all sections of the Australian community.
All Australian Parliaments successfully passed complementary legislation
banning ownership of these weapons, except in the most limited and
understandable of cases. Our year long national gun amnesty and
buy back scheme saw over 640,000 firearms surrendered for their
genuine value totalling almost $315 million. All of those firearms
with the very few exceptions for museum and police use were then
destroyed.
Taking such a strong stand was unpopular in some quarters but demonstrated
the Government's determination to fight crime.
The protection and security of a nation's citizens is not
only the first responsibility of government but also one of its
most noble.
It is a duty which has become even more onerous as criminals benefit
from the growth in the global economy, larger trading volumes, advances
in technology and electronic commerce and easier international travel.
It is a duty which no doubt will motivate much of your deliberations
this week. And I want you to know that your deliberations will take
place against the background of an assurance from me as the Prime
Minister of Australia, that the role of law enforcement agencies
in this country, be it the police services or other agencies, is
deeply admired, is gratefully acknowledged and will always have
our warm and continuing support. With that in mind, I have great
pleasure in declaring open this 15th Interpol Asian Regional Conference.
Thank you.
[Ends]