PM Transcripts

PRIME MINISTER
FOR MEDIA 21 NOVEMBER 1986
Mr Neil Mclnnes has today been appointed Australia's
first Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security.
Legislation establishing the office was recently passed
by the Parliament and is expected to come into operation
in the near future. Creation of the Office flowed from
a recommendation to that effect by Mr Justice Hope in
his Royal Commission reports on the intelligence and
security agencies.
The Inspector-General will occupy a pivotal position
with respect to the accountability of Australia's
security and intelligence agencies. The role of the
office will be to assist Ministers in ensuring that the
agencies act with legality and propriety, and that they
respect human rights. Powers of the office will be
widest in regard to ASIO, where there is, for example,
provision for review of certain directions given to that
organisation by the Attorney-General.
The Inspector-General will be able to conduct inquiries
as a result of complaints from members of the public, at
the request of a Minister or of his own motion.
In accordance with the provisions of the legislation,
the Leader of the Opposition was consulted on the
appointment of Mr Mclnnes.
Mr Mclnnes is a former journalist and newspaper editor,
who joined the public service in 1978 and has been,
since 1983, a Deputy Secretary of the Department of the
Prime Minister and Cabinet. He was born in Sydney and
was educated at Sydney Boys' High School and Sydney
University before working as a journalist in Australia,
India, France and the US.