The Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI) has had its powers expanded to include four Australian Government law enforcement Agencies for the first time.
From the beginning of this year, ACLEI has been empowered to investigate the integrity of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Head of ACLEI, Jaala Hinchcliffe said the Commission’s purpose was to make it more difficult for corruption to occur or remain undetected in the Australian Government law enforcement Agencies which it oversaw.
“The expansion allows us to ensure the highest standards of integrity are maintained across a larger number of Australian Government Agencies by detecting, investigating and preventing corruption,” Ms Hinchcliffe said.
“The expansion allows the Integrity Commissioner to comprehensively address the corruption risk to the law enforcement functions and outcomes of the Agencies, and exercise statutory powers to investigate corrupt conduct in the new prescribed Agencies,” she said.
“Over recent years, ACLEI has investigated examples of abuse of public office, bribery attempts, facilitation of criminal activity, unauthorised access and disclosure of information, and deliberate grooming of employees of law enforcement Agencies by criminal entities.”
Ms Hinchcliffe said law enforcement integrity was crucial to protect the Australian economy, businesses and individuals from the threat of serious and organised crime.
