Taking action – evolving our response
In order to effectively address the threat posed by illicit drugs, particularly methylamphetamine, the Home Affairs Portfolio must leverage all the tools and resources available to it. Focusing on reducing supply is crucial, as wastewater and operational data have shown there is a correlation between large-scale seizures and a decrease in drug consumption during the proceeding period.
Through this Action Plan, the Home Affairs Portfolio will implement activities to combat illicit drug supply in Australia, with a particular focus on reducing the supply of methylamphetamine and its precursors. This includes implementation of the Australian Government's 2019-20 Budget investment, which provided the Home Affairs Portfolio with
$152.1 million to target TSOC involvement in the illicit drug trade.
The Home Affairs Portfolio will also work with partners such as the Department of Education, and the Department of Health to ensure the Portfolio's activities to reduce illicit drug supply are complemented by demand reduction and harm minimisation activities.
An intelligence-led focus
The Home Affairs Portfolio will take an intelligence-informed and evidence-based approach to target our efforts to counter illicit drugs towards activities that will have maximum effect. This includes:
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Extending the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program (NWDMP): The Government has provided the ACIC with
$4.8 million over four years to continue and enhance the NWDMP. The NWDMP provides vital data on illicit drug consumption in Australia, giving law enforcement and criminal intelligence agencies new insights into how the supply and demand of illicit drugs is changing. The seventh report under this program was released on 7 April 2019. The report covers 54 per cent of the population (about 13 million people), with 50 wastewater treatment plants across Australia participating in the collection of the wastewater samples.
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Continuing Australian Gangs Intelligence Coordination Centre (AGICC): The Government has provided
$6.6 million over four years to the ACIC to continue the AGICC. The AGICC informs and coordinates an intelligence-led response to outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs) and other known gangs operating across state, territory and international borders, including providing intelligence support to the National Anti-Gang Squad.
Coordinated and collaborative
The Home Affairs Portfolio will engage across all levels of government and with international partners to ensure a collaborative, coordinated approach to combatting illicit drugs at home and abroad. We will also build and strengthen our partnerships with the private sector and academia to increase our understanding of illicit drugs and raise awareness of the ongoing impact these drugs have on our community. This includes:
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Supporting the South Australian Joint Agency Ice Strike Team (JAIST): The Government has provided
$2.5 million to the AFP to continue to provide Commonwealth support to the JAIST. This Commonwealth support helps the JAIST to identify the international origins and supply chains for significant domestic seizures of ice and precursors, particularly through the mail stream. The South Australia JAIST has already seen significant successes, including 17 arrests and the seizure of approximately 60 kilograms of methylamphetamine; 9 kilograms of methylamphetamine precursors; 320 litres of Gamma Butyrolactone (GBL); 22,000 tabs of LSD and smaller quantities of other drugs.
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Enhancing the National Anti-Gangs Squad (NAGS): The Government has provided
$94.3 million (over four years) for the AFP to enhance the NAGS. Through the NAGS, the AFP works with state and territory police to detect, deter and disrupt the activities of OMCGs, including their role in the importation and distribution of illicit drugs. This funding will enable Australian law enforcement and our international partners to continue to create a hostile environment for OMCGs in Australia and, importantly, offshore – as many OMCGs are now establishing themselves overseas in an attempt to avoid Australian law enforcement.
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Strategic deployment of AFP Liaison Officers: Recognising the importance of working with international partners to combat illicit drug supply offshore, the Home Affairs Portfolio continually assesses its international footprint. In response to current threats and priorities, the AFP:
- will deploy a second officer (Senior Liaison Officer) to the Bogota Post in response to the record levels of cocaine production in Colombia and trafficking to Australia
- has recently moved its Liaison Officer in Islamabad to Myanmar on a permanent basis due to the prolific nature of drug production there
- is about to commence a short term deployment into Cambodia to assist with Strikeforce Dragon and the AFP/Cambodian National Police Transnational Crime team.
Attack the criminal business model
While the size and characteristics of TSOC groups vary, they are all motivated by profit. TSOC groups operate like a business, and like all businesses, there are operational and logistical needs – supply, demand, management, resource input, professionals for legal, accounting and information technology, and financial services. Of necessity, TSOC groups can only operate through the development and exploitation of partnerships with a wide range of individuals.
These common business requirements that enable offending also provide the opportunity to disrupt TSOC in all its manifestations, including illicit drugs. The Home Affairs Portfolio will target the criminal business model, using all the tools and levers available to Government and its partners. This includes:
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Enhancing ABF capacity to detect illicit drug importation through international mail: Australia's international mail gateways are a key component of the criminal business model as they are a critical method of importing drugs into Australia. To attack this part of the criminal business model the Government has provided
$9.7 million to the ABF to enhance its capability to detect illicit drug importation through international mail.This will include saturation screening at all of Australia's international mail gateways. The ABF is also exploring technological opportunities to implement enhanced data analytics, intelligent threat identification and automatic threat detection powered by improved access to data and advances in screening technology.
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Forecasting the future of international mail: The ABF is working with partners in the mail sector to create a blueprint outlining the future direction for border processing of inbound international mail. The blueprint will help identify options for transforming the business model and processes currently employed. While the blueprint is a holistic document that seeks to reform all international mail processes and outcomes, there is a strong focus on disrupting the supply chain of illicit drugs into Australia, including methamphetamines.
Pursue a full-spectrum response
While our focus will be on supply reduction, we will continue to work in concert with non-traditional partners including the Departments of Health, Education and Social Services to ensure our law enforcement activities are complemented by prevention and harm minimisation measures, including education and awareness raising and treatment services. This includes:
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Establishing the Commonwealth Illicit Drugs Joint Agency Taskforce (CID JATF): The CID JATF brings together all Commonwealth agencies with a role in combatting illicit drug demand, supply and harm (Health, Education, Foreign Affairs, Social Services and Home Affairs portfolio agencies). Led by Home Affairs and the Department of Health, the CID JATF is intended to provide member agencies with a forum to strategically coordinate activities to combat illicit drugs. It allows agencies to share information and intelligence (including ACIC wastewater analysis data) on key issues and high-risk areas to inform decision making of operational agencies.
In the 2019-20 Budget the Australian Government provided more than
$185 million to the Department of Health for initiatives to reduce demand for illicit drugs and minimise the harm that they cause. This includes drug treatment and research activities, drug prevention activities in regional areas, improvement of opioid prescribing practices and increased awareness of appropriate pain management treatment.
Ensuring effective and efficient responses
An effective response to illicit drugs requires the full utilisation of administrative, legislative and regulatory powers in a timely and coordinated manner to maximise impact. This includes ensuring existing legislative frameworks, law enforcement and regulatory powers and criminal offences are fit for purpose to investigate and disrupt illicit drug supply.
The Home Affairs Portfolio will
modernise the Commonwealth legislative framework to combat illicit drugs. The Department of Home Affairs will undertake a comprehensive review of current Commonwealth illicit drug legislative frameworks, including both the Criminal Code Regulations 2019 and relevant offences under the Criminal Code Act 1995. There will be a particular focus on ensuring they are fit for purpose and adaptable to meet the operational requirements to target new and emerging illicit drug threats. It is vital to ensure law enforcement and regulatory officers have adequate investigatory powers in the targeting of illicit drug supply both onshore and offshore.
Evolving technology and the anonymity of the internet provides unprecedented opportunities for transnational, serious and organised criminal groups to facilitate the supply of illicit drugs directly to consumers and into Australian communities. An evaluation of existing drug offences could identify vulnerabilities and gaps that have arisen with the prevalence of new and emerging technologies, such as the ease at which users are able to acquire illicit drugs through anonymous online transactions. Through these anonymous interactions, users are able to perceive or justify a disconnection between themselves and criminal actors. Through this review and any subsequent legislative changes, the Commonwealth will further strengthen its approach to countering illicit drugs.
