Well thank you very much Mr Director-General, Attorney-General, heads of other agencies, ladies and gentlemen.
Before formally opening this centre, there a few observations I';d like to make because we are in ASIO, because we';re opening a National Threat Assessment centre that brings under the same roof for the first time, so to speak, the operations of a variety of our intelligence agencies to further focus and concentrate on a 24-hour basis our intelligence gathering effort.
I would like to say a few words about the importance of the agencies, not only ASIO but all the other agencies that are represented here today. I don';t believe there';s been a time since World War II when the intelligence agencies have been more important to the security of this country.
It is no accident that the personnel levels once the latest raft of decisions have been implemented will be higher than at anytime since the Cold War so far as the staff of ASIO is concerned. Timely and effective intelligence is the best weapon that this country has against the terrorist threat to Australia.
Our military forces are important, the activities of individual citizens are important, but timely and effective intelligence is far and away the best weapon against the potential terrorist threat to Australia. It is not easy being in an intelligence agency at the present time. There is an enormous public focus on the people who run them. There is an understandable demand in the community for early warnings, there';s a desire on the part of many, quite properly in the name of accountability to hold people responsible if they can if something goes array. And importantly also, there is a natural tension in a free society between the desire to have effective intelligence agencies and also the protection of the rights of the individual and achieving that balance is not always easy.
And amongst the things that the Government has done to strengthen the role of ASIO, in particular, but not only ASIO has been to augment the additional financial and other resources with changes to the law that allow ASIO in cooperation with other agencies both at a national and a state level to carry out their responsibilities. I think it';s important at a time like this to remind ourselves of the crucial role of intelligence but also to remember that important though is the role of intelligence, it is an input to the ultimate decision making process. Intelligence is not a decision making process in itself. It is something which informs and advises and supports and helps the Government of the day in making decisions of an important policy import.
The other introductory remark I';d like to make is that, I guess, because of circumstances I have in the time that I';ve been Prime Minister had more to do with intelligence, intelligence matters and intelligence agencies than many of my predecessors. I';ve also had the opportunity to observe the operation and the inter-relationship of intelligence agencies in other parts of the world, particularly amongst our closest intelligence partners, namely the United States and the United Kingdom. And although changes in arrangements should never be ruled out and I don';t in any way attempt to pre-empt the outcome of the Flood Inquiry which is now underway, I would like to make the observation that the level of cooperation between our agencies and the degree to which we have achieved both at a political and senior advisor level an effective whole-of-government approach to intelligence matters is superior in Australia in my view than in either of our intelligence partners.
The silo-syndrome is less apparent in my view in Australian than it is in other parts of the world. I';m very pleased that so many heads and acting heads of intelligence agencies are here today. I want to take the opportunity of expressing my respect and admiration for their work to reaffirm the Government';s confidence in the work they do, our very strong confidence in the work they do. To recognise, of course, that it is part of the intelligence community that there is proper latitude for strong contestability. It is never part of the intelligence gathering and intelligence advice capacities of a sensible arrangement between the political arm of government and its official advisers that there be a relentless pursuit of totally uniform advice, proper contestability both within agencies and on occasions between agencies is part and parcel of a sensible arrangement.
There';s already been of course a very high level of co-operation between the various agencies on a 24 hour basis and the establishment of the NTAC is a further recognition that intelligence gathering and national security is a whole-of-government issue and of course the increased terrorist threat has increased the pressure for the most comprehensive responses imaginable. The National Threat Assessment Centre will provide a practical way of accessing and integrating new sources of potentially relevant information from a range of Australian and overseas agencies and while Australia has always had an around the clock assessment capability the additional resourcing provided by the Government will now ensure that this maintained as a full time, dedicated capability. The move to an ongoing 24 hours a day, seven days a week operating environment will ensure that the Government will receive the best possible assessments in the shortest possible time. As I';ve already said the Government has significantly bolstered the resources of the Australian intelligence community and will continue to ensure that it is given all the support necessary to carry out its work.
Today I announce an additional $232 million in funding for intelligence agencies, and I stress there will be further announcements on funding for Australia';s intelligence and national security capability in the Budget on Tuesday night. To further boost ASIO';s national security capabilities the Government will provide in the forthcoming Budget additional funding of $131.4 million over four years, and this will compromise $127.2 million to increase staffing, enhance ASIO';s operational, analytical and technical capabilities and improve information technology systems. $3 million over four years to further strengthen border control measures, and $1.2 million to enable ASIO to continue its counter-terrorism training and advice to South Pacific nations. The total increased funding committed to ASIO since the 11th of September 2001 is $332.2 million and this represents a doubling of funding committed to ASIO since that time.
ASIO';s current staff numbers of around 785 have reached already Cold War levels, by 2006/7 it is estimated that ASIO';s staff levels will have increased by nearly 80 per cent since September 2001. And along with ASIO the Government will be providing additional funding of $100.6 million in this Budget to strengthen the counter-terrorism capabilities of ASIS, which will receive $45.6 million, enhance the Department of Defence';s intelligence operations and analytical capabilities, $47.4 million, and boost the co-ordination and technological capabilities of the Office of National Assessments to the tune of $7.6 million. I stress that this is not the end of the additional commitment, there will be further major enhancements in the broad intelligence and security area to be announced by the Treasurer in Tuesday';s Budget.
I';ve said privately and I repeat it publicly to all of the heads of the relevant agencies that the Government stands willing to provide the resources that are needed for them to do their job, to do their job in very difficult circumstances and to do a job that is critical to the long term security and safety of the entire Australian community. I conclude again by thanking the Director-General of ASIO for the personal leadership that he';s given, quite outstanding personal leadership to ASIO, I';ve had a great deal of interaction with Mr Richardson in the time that I';ve been Prime Minister, I have the highest possible regard for the professional job that he does and I again take this opportunity to express my confidence in the other agencies, their leadership, the work they do, they are critical to our security, they are encouraged to be organisations, that if they need further resources and they can make a proper case then to do so, there';s always the caveat about making a proper case and that is as it should be but if the proper case exists then it can certainly be successfully made with the Government. I thank the media for its continuing interest in these matters, and I';m impressed with the gathering today, perhaps it is the novelty, perhaps it is something else, I';m not quite sure but I do thank you all and I have very great pleasure in declaring this centre open, it is an important additional element in the fight of our lives that we have as a nation against the surge of international terrorism and I know its work will be warmly supported by the Australian people.
Thank you.
[ends]