Michael Keenan MP

2UE Interview with David Oldfield

Topics: Cuts to Customs

David Oldfield

Customs officers are suspected of drug trafficking, leaking sensitive information to help organised crime syndicates smuggle billions of dollars, shipments of illicit drugs and contraband into Australia. Crime syndicates are exploiting flaws in Government computer systems apparently, learning whether the shipping containers holding their drugs are going to be scanned and searched. It is a major problem for the Government as it fronts calls from the Opposition for an independent inquiry into Customs and its failure to stop drugs and weapons being brought into Australia. It is said that there are in particular Middle Eastern gangs, quite well known to police, I said this earlier but I will say it again, when you talk about crime families and talk about gangs that are known to police you wonder about how it is that they continue to operate. DNA might help where that is concerned too as indeed would help if we curtailed those lawyers who make a living out of getting crims off. Michael Keenan is the Shadow Minister for Justice, Customs and Border Protection and he joins me, Michael thank you for your time.

Michael Keenan

Good morning David. Great to be with you.

David Oldfield

It’s great to have you on the program. I suppose in the first sense we used to think that there was a problem because only about 3% of shipping containers are actually going to be scanned, so there was kind of a lottery as to who and what we might catch. Are we now finding out that perhaps it’s not so much a lottery for the criminals who are passed information as to which 3% will be scanned?

Michael Keenan

That’s a very good point. One of the problems we do have is that so much less cargo is being scanned when it comes into Australia. Air cargo for instance used to be scanned very extensively when it crossed our borders. Five years ago under the previous Government we used to scan about 60% and now under this Government we only scan about 8%.

David Oldfield

Why did they change that?

Michael Keenan

They savagely cut the Budget that Customs had for cargo screening. They pulled $60 million out when they came to Government and so Customs just doesn’t have the ability to screen the level of cargo that it should when it comes into Australia. That applies to both sea and air cargo and that is clearly something that we are very concerned about as an Opposition and it is something that we will change when we get into Government.

David Oldfield

Well there are a lot of people hoping that that is soon given the circumstances of the current state of the nation. Do we know how many Customs officers have been sacked or suspended in relation to these allegations?

Michael Keenan

I am relying on the media reports that I have seen on this but clearly any level of corruption is completely unacceptable within Customs and Border Protection. We need to find out exactly what has been going on within that agency and that’s why we have been calling for this independent inquiry. I’m not sure why the Government is resisting that as clearly there are some problems within Customs. We were alerted to it just last week with the extensive amount of hand guns that came onto the streets of Sydney via a post office in Sylvania Waters. Now Customs didn’t know about that until the NSW Police alerted them to it. Something is going wrong when we are able to get illegal weapons at that level onto our streets and when we are getting these reports about corruption occurring within the agency. We need to get somebody who is fully voiced in law and order issues to come and have a look at that agency and to tell the Australian people what is going on within it.

David Oldfield

Yes indeed, when you can send 300 handguns through the post there is an indication that there is something wrong and that is just the tip of the iceberg when we are talking about the billions of dollars that are involved here with drugs and other illegal materials and contraband. There are suggestions in the reports, its not hard to read in between the lines, that there is almost an ethnic mafia style of crime syndicate involved here, people who are said to actually be known to the police, particular families said to be involved although they have not nominated who they are and indeed that people of particular persuasion are moved into these positions so as to pass through the information, it is a hell of a set up?

Michael Keenan

There have certainly been anecdotal reports from our wharfs about people who have had links to organised crimes working on our wharfs for instance. Now I personally would favour a higher test of character for anyone who was working in these sensitive areas and that is something that we will look at when we get into Government. What we really need to do in the first instance is understand exactly what is going on and what has been occurring in Customs and the only way to do that is to get this independent inquiry to have a look so they can tell us what has been going on.

David Oldfield

Part of it is said to be the computer system and the simple matter of who is able to access. In many respects this is a problem for us in many areas, I mean quite frankly if you have somebody who has a mate in the RTA you can be tracked down but in this case the records are simply being able to be accessed by the wrong people?

Michael Keenan

That is a problem with any kind of criminal database and clearly we need to make sure that it is a fool proof system and we will again look at that when we get into Government to make sure it is not being utilised by people who shouldn’t be able to access that type of information. If criminals have an idea about what containers might be searched when they come into Australia then that is a significant problem and it is difficult to know why that has been allowed to occur. Again I would say that we really need to find out what has occurred and the best way to do that is to get somebody to have a look root and branch within the agency so they can say look these are the problems and then give us a road map on how to fix them.

David Oldfield

Jason Clare, the Home Affairs Minister, promised yesterday to boost the powers of the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity. It is not really enough is it?

Michael Keenan

It is certainly not enough and of course the problem is that the Australian Commission of Law Enforcement Integrity, like every single federal government crime fighting agency, has been starved of funds under the Labor Government. So they have been partially doing this job that they are not really resourced to do and they are not going to be able to get to the bottom of these events in the way that we need and the way that independent inquiries do so. The problem is with these guys is that they will just come up and say something without providing the resources to back up the ability of the agency to do it. It is all well and good to say that ACLEI can do it but if they don’t have the manpower or resources that they need to do that job then clearly that is just a red herring and a way for them to avoid having this inquiry because Labor are very worried that what it will reveal is that they have starved Customs of funding and has cut Customs funding so extensively since they came to office that really this is the root of the problem.

David Oldfield

It seems to be an inappropriate way of trying to save money when you consider the few million involved that has been cut compared to the damage done by the billions of dollars of contraband, drugs, guns and everything else that has been run into the country. Michael thanks for your time.

Michael Keenan

Always good to talk to you David.

 

Ends……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….