Opening address AIC Induction Course
Director-General of Security Paul O'Sullivan
6 December 2005
I was very pleased to be asked to open this course, the eighth Australian Intelligence Community induction course, and the second to be hosted by ASIO.
The establishment of an AIC-wide course was a key recommendation of the Flood Inquiry into Australia's intelligence agencies.
Over the course of three days you will hear presentations from each of the six AIC agencies and other departments such as the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australian Federal Police, the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, the Protective Security Coordination Centre and the Office of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security.
Over 200 people have already attended this course and I am told that the feedback received so far has been excellent.
Courses like this one are a must:
They put into context the role of each organisation within the AIC and expand knowledge of the community and its legal framework;
as well as helping you find your way through a maze of acronyms (and I promise not to use too many of these today); and
they provide an invaluable opportunity to build lasting working relationships with people from other agencies.
As a long-time user of intelligence throughout my career with the Department of External Affairs (now DFAT), ONA and as a senior adviser to the Prime Minister, I can assure you that the intelligence the AIC produces is highly valued.
Let me echo Philip Flood's view that what the Government needs is balanced assessments that draw on both classified and unclassified (open source) information.
Judgments need to be unbiased and not influenced by political considerations.
While cooperation between agencies is important, so too is contestability, both between agencies and within agencies. Being challenged by others, or being alerted to other perspectives or to flaws in an argument, provides valuable checks and balances.
It is pleasing to see such strong working relationships across the AIC:
Seconded officers are spread throughout the AIC.
A great deal of information is shared within and outside the AIC.
We engage in joint operations and investigations when that is useful and appropriate.
We also engage a great deal more outside Government, one example being ASIO's Business Liaison Unit, which will provide security information to owners and operators of critical infrastructure and other members of the business community.
The work of the AIC tends to excite media interest, particularly in the case of ASIO, because of our work in Australia and because so much of what we do is, necessarily, secretive.
The need to protect our capabilities, methods of investigation and operations means that our successes are rarely heralded - although our occasional mistakes always seem to make their way onto newspaper front pages.
We cannot ignore the interest of the media or its role and influence in shaping community perceptions about the intelligence community.
The need for secrecy though does not remove the need for intelligence agencies to be accountable for their actions.
At the end of the day, accountability arrangements (including the IGIS and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on ASIO, ASIS and DSD and others) give confidence to the community that the intelligence and security agencies are operating in an appropriate manner to serve the national interest and, ultimately, to protect the Australian community.
In his annual report this year the IGIS reported that he found no evidence that intelligence and security agencies had knowingly acted beyond their authority.
He stated that 'intelligence and security agencies continue to be focused on achieving the objectives set for them by the Parliament and the Government, responsive to Ministerial direction, aware of the limits of their authority, and concerned to conduct their business in a professional manner'.
I think this is an excellent report card for the AIC agencies.
The security environment at the moment is very fluid.
Australians and Australian interests are at threat both here and abroad.
We have been specifically targeted by terrorists in Bali, Jakarta and Baghdad and Australians have been caught up in attacks directed at others, including in the United States, London, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey.
New threats can emerge without warning - as the UK experience has shown.
The Government describes the fight against terrorism as intelligence-led.
This does not mean there is an expectation that agencies will be omniscient - that there will always be prior intelligence warning of a particular threat.
However, there is an expectation that we will be vigilant in watching for the emergence of new threats and strong in taking action to counter these threats.
This means that all of our work is highly relevant to Government.
And we are fortunate to enjoy tremendous support from Government - from all sides of politics.
As an intelligence community, we need continually to earn the trust and confidence of the government, the parliament and the community.
It is therefore imperative that we continue to maintain the high standards of transparency and accountability that already exist in the AIC and use the powers granted to us under legislation appropriately, in strict conformance with the law.
It is also important that we maintain organisational cultures that are professional and ethical and encourage initiative as well as teamwork.
All agencies are growing and adapting to meet the demands that are upon us.
This makes it a very rewarding time to be working in intelligence.
I welcome the new perspectives you will bring to the intelligence community and to the challenges we face.