Senate Estimates (Budget) hearing – Australian Parliament House
25 May 2015
Roman Quaedvlieg
Commissioner, Australian Border Force
Opening Statement to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee
E&OE
This will be the last occasion that the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service appears before this committee in its current form and with its current name. The customs function has been performed for more than 100 years under various organisation constructs, and in fact was one of the seven original Commonwealth departments established at the Federation of Australia. Even prior to Federation, customs functions were performed between Australia’s colonies, and at their sea borders.
Of course border protection functions have been added to the customs function over the last 100 years, and today’s Australian Customs and Border Protection Service undertakes a wide range of border activities including the seizure of drugs, firearms and other prohibited goods, the protection of Australia’s maritime domains, facilitating international trade and travel, collection of billions of dollars in revenue, and supporting the counter–terrorism efforts of national security agencies.
In 38 days, on 1 July, the Australian Border Force, or ABF, will come into existence. The ABF will be the operational arm of the broader Department of Immigration and Border Protection, and it will bring together – into a single operational entity – all of the current operational functions of both the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and he Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
This includes management of the Department’s detention operation and the enforcement of visa compliance.
The ACBPS will cease to exist on the 1st July.
The Australian Border Force, or the ABF, will be a uniformed, disciplined and professional enforcement entity, led by an ABF Commissioner. It will manage the flow of people and goods across Australia’s border to maximise travel, trade, prosperity and social cohesion, but at the same time to minimise threats to community safety and national security.
The Committee will have an opportunity during this session, if it so chooses, to seek further details in relation to the ABF.
Today, however, I want to very briefly highlight in this opening statement some of the Service’s operational results so far this financial year.
- The Service has made 11 739 detections of major illicit drugs weighing 6.33 tonnes – this is already two tonnes more than that seized in the full FY of 2013–2014:
- This increase is attributable to a marked increase in the number and weight of amphetamine type substances in all forms. That is, powder, tablet, liquid, but primarily crystal methamphetamine, otherwise known as ‘Ice’, as well as a large seizure of MDMA, otherwise known as ecstasy.
- The Service has made 1770 detections of undeclared firearms, parts and accessories.
- By aircraft, we have surveilled over 124 million square nautical miles of ocean.
- We have spent 2000 patrol days at sea in our vessels.
- At our sea and airports, we have inspected:
- almost 1.7 million air cargo consignments
- over 85 000 sea cargo containers, and
- almost 46 million items of international mail.
- We have processed over $32 million travelling passengers at Australia’s international airports.
- We have collected almost $13 billion in revenue so far this year.
- And, since their establishment on 22 August 2014, our Counter–Terrorism Unit teams, located in Australia’s eight major international airports, have assessed over 106 000 departing travellers against national security risk profiles, resulting in 284 passengers being off–loaded and dealt with through a range of actions by the Service or partner agencies.
These results reflect the commitment, hard work, and professionalism of the men and women of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, whom I’ve had the privilege of leading since October last year.
The future Australian Border Force will be well served by their contribution.
Thank you for the opportunity to make a statement.
