Caution needed in dealing with Australia’s police authorities
06 August 2019
PHIL FITZPATRICK
TUMBY BAY - I think Papua New Guinea’s police minister Bryan Kramer really needs to be careful.
He says he will reach out to the Australian Federal Police for assistance in restructuring PNG's fraud squad.
While a lot depends on the kind of assistance he is seeking, he should be very wary of inadvertently falling into a trap.
The AFP has close links to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS).
All these agencies are secretive and immune from freedom of information requests in Australia.
The ASD’s main function is listening in on communications domestically and in other countries which may be of interest to the Australian government.
Given Australia’s newly discovered interest in the Pacific region it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that a request made by Kramer would be seen as an invitation to engage in a little extra-curricular spying.
Australia, after all, has lots of skin in this sort of game. Just ask Timor Leste, where Australian spies laced listening devices in the cabinet room.
It’s also interesting to consider why Kramer thinks the fraud squad needs outside help.
In the recent past the fraud squad has shown itself to have a team of professional and incorruptible officers. Peter O’Neill will vouch for this fact.
The fraud squad will know exactly what needs to be done to make its work easier.
First, quarantining them from political interference.
Secondly, guaranteeing them a decent budget so they have the resources they need to be effective.
Once they’ve got all that it’s just a matter of letting them loose. They know who the crooks are and where they live.
One of the things they don’t need is dragging some AFP characters around with them hindering what they do.
If the AFP is happy to sit in the Airways Hotel propping up the bar and occasionally wandering over to the smorgasbord, well and good.
But if they want to get in the way things won’t work as well as the minister expects.
If the minister insists in getting outside help, he should look elsewhere for the expertise he seeks.
His own backyard might be a good place to start.
Good comment, Fitz
Adding to what you have pointed out, so much PNG public funds have made it into Aussie banks in millions right under the radar of AFP, Intel Pol and money laundering detectives in which there was no response from Australia to either send this money back or assist PNG police to hold responsible fraudsters accountable.
Now the police minister wants support in this space, what would be different now than previously? During the Task Force Sweep reign, Sam Koim asked AFP and other intel agencies in Aussie for support but to no avail.
The Police Minister should consider local expertise in intel work, increase budget for fraud office and limit political interference into fraud office. Now you set the going to go...take back PNG..otherwise AFP could do another eavesdrop in PNG..
Just a thought, over to you Minister.
Posted by: JK Domyal | 07 August 2019 at 04:01 PM
I imagine that the Chinese will also be watching what happens with this proposal.
Back in early May ex-Prime Minister Paul Keating suggested that under the Morrison government ASIO was now running Australia’s foreign policy.
The former prime minister said the current leaders of the major intelligence agencies should be replaced because they were taking too hawkish a stance on China’s rise.
“When the security agencies are running foreign policy, the nutters are in charge,” he said. “They've lost their strategic bearings, these organisations.”
I think Keating knows what he is talking about.
Posted by: Philip Fitzpatrick | 06 August 2019 at 10:37 PM
A good observation here. Brian Kramer has to take this into account.
Posted by: Kennu Pawa Ambiasi | 06 August 2019 at 09:57 PM