. PRIME MINISTER WEDNESDAY, 7 NOVEMBER 1979
From the Press Office
SUMMARY OF ABC'S
In the aftermath of the scrapping of the Federal Narcotics Bureau,
a confidential document has been leaked which highlights the
intense bureaucratic power play that has been so much a part of
the battle between the Commonwealth Police, the State Police Forces
and the Narcotics Bureau. The document is a defence by the
Department of Business and Consumer. Affairs against the allegations
made by Mr. Justice Williams in his Interim Royal Commission Report
to the Federal Government.
Julie Flynn
* Defenders of the Narcotics Bureau a~ e particularly bitter
at what they see as a set-up job to get rid of it. I understand
that the Department of Business and Consumer Affairs itself
prepared a strong detailed defence of the allegations contained
in the Interim Report. The Department requested that the defence
be included as an appendix to the report when it was due to be
released. But I understand that it wasn't. Rivalry between the
Narcotics Bureau and the Commonwealth Police and to a lesser
extent, State Police Forces, has been intense since the Bureau
was set up in 1969 by the then Minister, Mr. Don Chipp. The former
head of the Commonwealth Police, Mr. Davis, and the head of the
Bureau, Mr. Bates, have waged a long-standing power battle, and
while the Commonwealth Police has now been absorbed by the
Australian Federal Police, it seems that the final victory belongs
to Mr. Davis, who besides being an academic is now a special
adviser on police matters to the Minister for Administrative
Services, Mr. McLeay. I understand that in its defence, the
Department said it was hardly surprising that the report recommended
that the Bureau be disbanded, especially when seen against the
background of the inquiry. It pointed out that in October 1977,,
long before allegations against the Bureau surfaced, it offered
to provide expert assistance to the inquiry, but that offer was
rejected. In contrast, the Commonwealth Police had 16 of its
officers attached on and off to the inquiry. The Department argued
that it was on trial without any opportunity to refute the allegations.
The situation had become so bad that it had been forced to hire
senior counsel to protect its interests when giving evidence to
the Commission. Furthermore, it noted that at no stage did the
Commission why the Australia Federal Police would handle the
responsibilities of the Bureau better, except to say that it was
A larger body. The Department said that no alternatives were
proposed or canvassed in the report, nor was an assessment made of
the improvements that might be expected from such a transfer. It also
said that it remains to be seen if the efficiency of the Federal
Police will be any greater than that of Compol as evidenced in the
Greek social security case. It questions whether the force could
handle the additional responsibilities without additional resources.
The document details a point by point comment on all the allegations
against the Bureau. It says that allegations that there was
distrust between it and other agencies should take into account
the difference between distrust and jealousy and that the law
enforcement working part was evidence that various forces co-operated
and exchanged information regularly with the Bureau. And allegations
that the judiciary, quote generally speaking, unquote, thought that
the Bureau was less efficient than State forces was it said, not
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supported by evidence from N. S. W. where most Bureau cases were
heard. on the allegations that the Bureau's arrest and seizure
record was indicitive that it was not doing its job properly,
the Department said that this ignored the fact that most of its
work was surveillance and that it often passed this on to State
forces who then acted upon it. It said that allegations that the
Department spent too much time defending itself were based on a
paper by a bellicose young junior officer written eight years ago.
It said that if it did have to defend itself, that was largely
because of the Commission itself. on the allegations that the
Department was inefficient, the document said that this was a
subjective judgement and did not attempt to take into account the
relative efficiency of other police forces. It is not known why
the document was not included in the Interim Report, but supporters
of the Department are angry that Ministers were not given the
opportunity to hear their defence. The document raises some
interesting questions about the Minister, Mr. Fife's role in the
ultimate decision to disband the Bureau. Knowing that his Department
had so strongly rejected the Commission's criticisms, it appears
that Mr. Fife was either defeated in Cabinet or is in dispute with
his Department.
The role of the Business and Consumer Affairs, Mr. Fife, who is
responsible for the administration of the Narcotics Bureau, camne
under strong attack today in the Federal Parliament when the
opposition launched a censure motion against him for what they
alleged was his incompetent administration of the Bureau and what
the leader of the Opposition, Mr. Hayden, claimed was a cover-up.
Report from Geoff Duncan.
It seems the criticism of the Federal Department of Business and
Consumer Affairs is not limited to the activities of the Narcotics
Bureau. Submissions to the Federal Royal Commission into Drugs
have also made strong attacks on the administration of the Customs
Bureau. The submissions claim that Customs has lost control
of its law enforcement functions, particularly in the area of the
importation of drugs. Interview with a number of senior customs
officers who asked to remain anonymous.
An interesting insight into the operations-of those involved in
drug trafficking has come from an interview with Bruce Stewart,
who is a former associate of a man now being held by British police
who is facing charges of murder in connection-with a New Zealand-
Australian drug syndicate: interview reported.
Tonight Jimmy Carter is facing one of the greatest challenges of his
Presidency with the news that Iran may be preparing to cut off all
oil supplies to the U. S. CIA reports are saying that workers at
Iran's only crude oil port have gone on strike in support of the
Tehran students who overran the United States Embassy.
Eight members of the Townsville Unemployed Worker's Union were
arrested at noon today after refusing to leave the town'Is Department
of Social Security office. They were charged under the Federal Public
Order Protection of Persons and Property Act with disobeying a lawful
order. 0 00---