❓ A parliamentary question on notice addresses the dormancy of the Corruption and Crime Commission's organised crime function and seeks data on investigative hours related to specific individuals and organised crime in general. The Attorney General's response deflects direct answers, citing lack of readily available information and placing responsibility on the police for referrals.
AnsweredQoN 84Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORRUPTION AND CRIME COMMISSION — ORGANISED CRIME FUNCTION
I refer to the following statements by Corruption and Crime Commissioner Len Roberts-Smith: the commission’s organised crime function has remained dormant for the second consecutive year with the significant powers available to the Western Australia Police under the act underutilised; and the CCC has put 1 000 hours into responding to Mr McCusker’s reports regarding Mr Frewer and Mr Allen. (1) Why is it that under the Carpenter government there have been no relevant referrals under part 4 of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act, with the result that the CCC’s organised crime function has remained dormant for two years? (2) Given the CCC’s clear ability to document hours allocated to various tasks, what are the CCC hours that have been allocated to the investigation of and reporting on matters relating to the activities of Julian Grill and Brian Burke in the past two years and what are the CCC hours that have been devoted to the investigation of organised crime in the same period? Mr J.A. McGINTY
I refer to the following statements by Corruption and Crime Commissioner Len Roberts-Smith: the commission’s organised crime function has remained dormant for the second consecutive year with the significant powers available to the Western Australia Police under the act underutilised; and the CCC has put 1 000 hours into responding to Mr McCusker’s reports regarding Mr Frewer and Mr Allen. (1) Why is it that under the Carpenter government there have been no relevant referrals under part 4 of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act, with the result that the CCC’s organised crime function has remained dormant for two years? (2) Given the CCC’s clear ability to document hours allocated to various tasks, what are the CCC hours that have been allocated to the investigation of and reporting on matters relating to the activities of Julian Grill and Brian Burke in the past two years and what are the CCC hours that have been devoted to the investigation of organised crime in the same period? Mr J.A. McGINTY
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Murdoch for his maiden speech in this place. (1)-(2) Information such as the number of hours spent by an agency on a particular form of inquiry is not information I carry around in the back of my head and it is not information that the CCC necessarily imparts to me. I am always happy to try to get that information, but I would appreciate some notice of that issue. In respect of the organised crime function, the report from Gail Archer, which I tabled in Parliament just before question time today, will provide us with a very good way forward to get the Corruption and Crime Commission more involved in dealing with organised crime in Western Australia. As the member has rightly pointed out, the report from Len Roberts-Smith, the CCC commissioner, observed that the organised crime function of the CCC was dormant because the police did not make any applications to use it. The reasons for that are best known to the police and particularly to the Commissioner of Police. If the police do not make an application, there is nothing the CCC can do about it. Gail Archer’s report, which was tabled today, recommends an expansion of the powers of the CCC to deal with organised crime and an expansion of the definition of the offences that constitute organised crime. However, what is most critical, and this will act as an encouragement to the police to become more involved in using the CCC’s extraordinary powers when dealing with organised crime in the future, is a proposal that any use of that power will be dependent upon the agreement of the police commissioner and the CCC commissioner. When that agreement is in place, either jointly with the police and the CCC, or by the CCC exercising that power on behalf of the police, the CCC will be able to use the power that the police do not have, which is to call in an organised crime figure and require that person, under pain of imprisonment if he does not answer questions, to answer questions about where he got his wealth from and the nature of the activities in which he was engaged. Mr C.C. Porter : Why have there been no referrals in two years? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Ask the police. Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
(1) Why is it that under the Carpenter government there have been no relevant referrals under part 4 of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act, with the result that the CCC’s organised crime function has remained dormant for two years? (2) Given the CCC’s clear ability to document hours allocated to various tasks, what are the CCC hours that have been allocated to the investigation of and reporting on matters relating to the activities of Julian Grill and Brian Burke in the past two years and what are the CCC hours that have been devoted to the investigation of organised crime in the same period? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his maiden speech in this place. (1)-(2) Information such as the number of hours spent by an agency on a particular form of inquiry is not information I carry around in the back of my head and it is not information that the CCC necessarily imparts to me. I am always happy to try to get that information, but I would appreciate some notice of that issue. In respect of the organised crime function, the report from Gail Archer, which I tabled in Parliament just before question time today, will provide us with a very good way forward to get the Corruption and Crime Commission more involved in dealing with organised crime in Western Australia. As the member has rightly pointed out, the report from Len Roberts-Smith, the CCC commissioner, observed that the organised crime function of the CCC was dormant because the police did not make any applications to use it. The reasons for that are best known to the police and particularly to the Commissioner of Police. If the police do not make an application, there is nothing the CCC can do about it. Gail Archer’s report, which was tabled today, recommends an expansion of the powers of the CCC to deal with organised crime and an expansion of the definition of the offences that constitute organised crime. However, what is most critical, and this will act as an encouragement to the police to become more involved in using the CCC’s extraordinary powers when dealing with organised crime in the future, is a proposal that any use of that power will be dependent upon the agreement of the police commissioner and the CCC commissioner. When that agreement is in place, either jointly with the police and the CCC, or by the CCC exercising that power on behalf of the police, the CCC will be able to use the power that the police do not have, which is to call in an organised crime figure and require that person, under pain of imprisonment if he does not answer questions, to answer questions about where he got his wealth from and the nature of the activities in which he was engaged. Mr C.C. Porter : Why have there been no referrals in two years? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Ask the police. Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
(2) Given the CCC’s clear ability to document hours allocated to various tasks, what are the CCC hours that have been allocated to the investigation of and reporting on matters relating to the activities of Julian Grill and Brian Burke in the past two years and what are the CCC hours that have been devoted to the investigation of organised crime in the same period? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his maiden speech in this place. (1)-(2) Information such as the number of hours spent by an agency on a particular form of inquiry is not information I carry around in the back of my head and it is not information that the CCC necessarily imparts to me. I am always happy to try to get that information, but I would appreciate some notice of that issue. In respect of the organised crime function, the report from Gail Archer, which I tabled in Parliament just before question time today, will provide us with a very good way forward to get the Corruption and Crime Commission more involved in dealing with organised crime in Western Australia. As the member has rightly pointed out, the report from Len Roberts-Smith, the CCC commissioner, observed that the organised crime function of the CCC was dormant because the police did not make any applications to use it. The reasons for that are best known to the police and particularly to the Commissioner of Police. If the police do not make an application, there is nothing the CCC can do about it. Gail Archer’s report, which was tabled today, recommends an expansion of the powers of the CCC to deal with organised crime and an expansion of the definition of the offences that constitute organised crime. However, what is most critical, and this will act as an encouragement to the police to become more involved in using the CCC’s extraordinary powers when dealing with organised crime in the future, is a proposal that any use of that power will be dependent upon the agreement of the police commissioner and the CCC commissioner. When that agreement is in place, either jointly with the police and the CCC, or by the CCC exercising that power on behalf of the police, the CCC will be able to use the power that the police do not have, which is to call in an organised crime figure and require that person, under pain of imprisonment if he does not answer questions, to answer questions about where he got his wealth from and the nature of the activities in which he was engaged. Mr C.C. Porter : Why have there been no referrals in two years? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Ask the police. Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his maiden speech in this place. (1)-(2) Information such as the number of hours spent by an agency on a particular form of inquiry is not information I carry around in the back of my head and it is not information that the CCC necessarily imparts to me. I am always happy to try to get that information, but I would appreciate some notice of that issue. In respect of the organised crime function, the report from Gail Archer, which I tabled in Parliament just before question time today, will provide us with a very good way forward to get the Corruption and Crime Commission more involved in dealing with organised crime in Western Australia. As the member has rightly pointed out, the report from Len Roberts-Smith, the CCC commissioner, observed that the organised crime function of the CCC was dormant because the police did not make any applications to use it. The reasons for that are best known to the police and particularly to the Commissioner of Police. If the police do not make an application, there is nothing the CCC can do about it. Gail Archer’s report, which was tabled today, recommends an expansion of the powers of the CCC to deal with organised crime and an expansion of the definition of the offences that constitute organised crime. However, what is most critical, and this will act as an encouragement to the police to become more involved in using the CCC’s extraordinary powers when dealing with organised crime in the future, is a proposal that any use of that power will be dependent upon the agreement of the police commissioner and the CCC commissioner. When that agreement is in place, either jointly with the police and the CCC, or by the CCC exercising that power on behalf of the police, the CCC will be able to use the power that the police do not have, which is to call in an organised crime figure and require that person, under pain of imprisonment if he does not answer questions, to answer questions about where he got his wealth from and the nature of the activities in which he was engaged. Mr C.C. Porter : Why have there been no referrals in two years? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Ask the police. Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
I thank the member for Murdoch for his maiden speech in this place. (1)-(2) Information such as the number of hours spent by an agency on a particular form of inquiry is not information I carry around in the back of my head and it is not information that the CCC necessarily imparts to me. I am always happy to try to get that information, but I would appreciate some notice of that issue. In respect of the organised crime function, the report from Gail Archer, which I tabled in Parliament just before question time today, will provide us with a very good way forward to get the Corruption and Crime Commission more involved in dealing with organised crime in Western Australia. As the member has rightly pointed out, the report from Len Roberts-Smith, the CCC commissioner, observed that the organised crime function of the CCC was dormant because the police did not make any applications to use it. The reasons for that are best known to the police and particularly to the Commissioner of Police. If the police do not make an application, there is nothing the CCC can do about it. Gail Archer’s report, which was tabled today, recommends an expansion of the powers of the CCC to deal with organised crime and an expansion of the definition of the offences that constitute organised crime. However, what is most critical, and this will act as an encouragement to the police to become more involved in using the CCC’s extraordinary powers when dealing with organised crime in the future, is a proposal that any use of that power will be dependent upon the agreement of the police commissioner and the CCC commissioner. When that agreement is in place, either jointly with the police and the CCC, or by the CCC exercising that power on behalf of the police, the CCC will be able to use the power that the police do not have, which is to call in an organised crime figure and require that person, under pain of imprisonment if he does not answer questions, to answer questions about where he got his wealth from and the nature of the activities in which he was engaged. Mr C.C. Porter : Why have there been no referrals in two years? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Ask the police. Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
(1)-(2) Information such as the number of hours spent by an agency on a particular form of inquiry is not information I carry around in the back of my head and it is not information that the CCC necessarily imparts to me. I am always happy to try to get that information, but I would appreciate some notice of that issue. In respect of the organised crime function, the report from Gail Archer, which I tabled in Parliament just before question time today, will provide us with a very good way forward to get the Corruption and Crime Commission more involved in dealing with organised crime in Western Australia. As the member has rightly pointed out, the report from Len Roberts-Smith, the CCC commissioner, observed that the organised crime function of the CCC was dormant because the police did not make any applications to use it. The reasons for that are best known to the police and particularly to the Commissioner of Police. If the police do not make an application, there is nothing the CCC can do about it. Gail Archer’s report, which was tabled today, recommends an expansion of the powers of the CCC to deal with organised crime and an expansion of the definition of the offences that constitute organised crime. However, what is most critical, and this will act as an encouragement to the police to become more involved in using the CCC’s extraordinary powers when dealing with organised crime in the future, is a proposal that any use of that power will be dependent upon the agreement of the police commissioner and the CCC commissioner. When that agreement is in place, either jointly with the police and the CCC, or by the CCC exercising that power on behalf of the police, the CCC will be able to use the power that the police do not have, which is to call in an organised crime figure and require that person, under pain of imprisonment if he does not answer questions, to answer questions about where he got his wealth from and the nature of the activities in which he was engaged. Mr C.C. Porter : Why have there been no referrals in two years? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Ask the police. Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
Mr C.C. Porter : Why have there been no referrals in two years? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Ask the police. Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : Ask the police. Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
(1) Why is it that under the Carpenter government there have been no relevant referrals under part 4 of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act, with the result that the CCC’s organised crime function has remained dormant for two years? (2) Given the CCC’s clear ability to document hours allocated to various tasks, what are the CCC hours that have been allocated to the investigation of and reporting on matters relating to the activities of Julian Grill and Brian Burke in the past two years and what are the CCC hours that have been devoted to the investigation of organised crime in the same period? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his maiden speech in this place. (1)-(2) Information such as the number of hours spent by an agency on a particular form of inquiry is not information I carry around in the back of my head and it is not information that the CCC necessarily imparts to me. I am always happy to try to get that information, but I would appreciate some notice of that issue. In respect of the organised crime function, the report from Gail Archer, which I tabled in Parliament just before question time today, will provide us with a very good way forward to get the Corruption and Crime Commission more involved in dealing with organised crime in Western Australia. As the member has rightly pointed out, the report from Len Roberts-Smith, the CCC commissioner, observed that the organised crime function of the CCC was dormant because the police did not make any applications to use it. The reasons for that are best known to the police and particularly to the Commissioner of Police. If the police do not make an application, there is nothing the CCC can do about it. Gail Archer’s report, which was tabled today, recommends an expansion of the powers of the CCC to deal with organised crime and an expansion of the definition of the offences that constitute organised crime. However, what is most critical, and this will act as an encouragement to the police to become more involved in using the CCC’s extraordinary powers when dealing with organised crime in the future, is a proposal that any use of that power will be dependent upon the agreement of the police commissioner and the CCC commissioner. When that agreement is in place, either jointly with the police and the CCC, or by the CCC exercising that power on behalf of the police, the CCC will be able to use the power that the police do not have, which is to call in an organised crime figure and require that person, under pain of imprisonment if he does not answer questions, to answer questions about where he got his wealth from and the nature of the activities in which he was engaged. Mr C.C. Porter : Why have there been no referrals in two years? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Ask the police. Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
(2) Given the CCC’s clear ability to document hours allocated to various tasks, what are the CCC hours that have been allocated to the investigation of and reporting on matters relating to the activities of Julian Grill and Brian Burke in the past two years and what are the CCC hours that have been devoted to the investigation of organised crime in the same period? Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his maiden speech in this place. (1)-(2) Information such as the number of hours spent by an agency on a particular form of inquiry is not information I carry around in the back of my head and it is not information that the CCC necessarily imparts to me. I am always happy to try to get that information, but I would appreciate some notice of that issue. In respect of the organised crime function, the report from Gail Archer, which I tabled in Parliament just before question time today, will provide us with a very good way forward to get the Corruption and Crime Commission more involved in dealing with organised crime in Western Australia. As the member has rightly pointed out, the report from Len Roberts-Smith, the CCC commissioner, observed that the organised crime function of the CCC was dormant because the police did not make any applications to use it. The reasons for that are best known to the police and particularly to the Commissioner of Police. If the police do not make an application, there is nothing the CCC can do about it. Gail Archer’s report, which was tabled today, recommends an expansion of the powers of the CCC to deal with organised crime and an expansion of the definition of the offences that constitute organised crime. However, what is most critical, and this will act as an encouragement to the police to become more involved in using the CCC’s extraordinary powers when dealing with organised crime in the future, is a proposal that any use of that power will be dependent upon the agreement of the police commissioner and the CCC commissioner. When that agreement is in place, either jointly with the police and the CCC, or by the CCC exercising that power on behalf of the police, the CCC will be able to use the power that the police do not have, which is to call in an organised crime figure and require that person, under pain of imprisonment if he does not answer questions, to answer questions about where he got his wealth from and the nature of the activities in which he was engaged. Mr C.C. Porter : Why have there been no referrals in two years? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Ask the police. Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
Mr J.A. McGINTY replied: I thank the member for Murdoch for his maiden speech in this place. (1)-(2) Information such as the number of hours spent by an agency on a particular form of inquiry is not information I carry around in the back of my head and it is not information that the CCC necessarily imparts to me. I am always happy to try to get that information, but I would appreciate some notice of that issue. In respect of the organised crime function, the report from Gail Archer, which I tabled in Parliament just before question time today, will provide us with a very good way forward to get the Corruption and Crime Commission more involved in dealing with organised crime in Western Australia. As the member has rightly pointed out, the report from Len Roberts-Smith, the CCC commissioner, observed that the organised crime function of the CCC was dormant because the police did not make any applications to use it. The reasons for that are best known to the police and particularly to the Commissioner of Police. If the police do not make an application, there is nothing the CCC can do about it. Gail Archer’s report, which was tabled today, recommends an expansion of the powers of the CCC to deal with organised crime and an expansion of the definition of the offences that constitute organised crime. However, what is most critical, and this will act as an encouragement to the police to become more involved in using the CCC’s extraordinary powers when dealing with organised crime in the future, is a proposal that any use of that power will be dependent upon the agreement of the police commissioner and the CCC commissioner. When that agreement is in place, either jointly with the police and the CCC, or by the CCC exercising that power on behalf of the police, the CCC will be able to use the power that the police do not have, which is to call in an organised crime figure and require that person, under pain of imprisonment if he does not answer questions, to answer questions about where he got his wealth from and the nature of the activities in which he was engaged. Mr C.C. Porter : Why have there been no referrals in two years? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Ask the police. Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
I thank the member for Murdoch for his maiden speech in this place. (1)-(2) Information such as the number of hours spent by an agency on a particular form of inquiry is not information I carry around in the back of my head and it is not information that the CCC necessarily imparts to me. I am always happy to try to get that information, but I would appreciate some notice of that issue. In respect of the organised crime function, the report from Gail Archer, which I tabled in Parliament just before question time today, will provide us with a very good way forward to get the Corruption and Crime Commission more involved in dealing with organised crime in Western Australia. As the member has rightly pointed out, the report from Len Roberts-Smith, the CCC commissioner, observed that the organised crime function of the CCC was dormant because the police did not make any applications to use it. The reasons for that are best known to the police and particularly to the Commissioner of Police. If the police do not make an application, there is nothing the CCC can do about it. Gail Archer’s report, which was tabled today, recommends an expansion of the powers of the CCC to deal with organised crime and an expansion of the definition of the offences that constitute organised crime. However, what is most critical, and this will act as an encouragement to the police to become more involved in using the CCC’s extraordinary powers when dealing with organised crime in the future, is a proposal that any use of that power will be dependent upon the agreement of the police commissioner and the CCC commissioner. When that agreement is in place, either jointly with the police and the CCC, or by the CCC exercising that power on behalf of the police, the CCC will be able to use the power that the police do not have, which is to call in an organised crime figure and require that person, under pain of imprisonment if he does not answer questions, to answer questions about where he got his wealth from and the nature of the activities in which he was engaged. Mr C.C. Porter : Why have there been no referrals in two years? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Ask the police. Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
(1)-(2) Information such as the number of hours spent by an agency on a particular form of inquiry is not information I carry around in the back of my head and it is not information that the CCC necessarily imparts to me. I am always happy to try to get that information, but I would appreciate some notice of that issue. In respect of the organised crime function, the report from Gail Archer, which I tabled in Parliament just before question time today, will provide us with a very good way forward to get the Corruption and Crime Commission more involved in dealing with organised crime in Western Australia. As the member has rightly pointed out, the report from Len Roberts-Smith, the CCC commissioner, observed that the organised crime function of the CCC was dormant because the police did not make any applications to use it. The reasons for that are best known to the police and particularly to the Commissioner of Police. If the police do not make an application, there is nothing the CCC can do about it. Gail Archer’s report, which was tabled today, recommends an expansion of the powers of the CCC to deal with organised crime and an expansion of the definition of the offences that constitute organised crime. However, what is most critical, and this will act as an encouragement to the police to become more involved in using the CCC’s extraordinary powers when dealing with organised crime in the future, is a proposal that any use of that power will be dependent upon the agreement of the police commissioner and the CCC commissioner. When that agreement is in place, either jointly with the police and the CCC, or by the CCC exercising that power on behalf of the police, the CCC will be able to use the power that the police do not have, which is to call in an organised crime figure and require that person, under pain of imprisonment if he does not answer questions, to answer questions about where he got his wealth from and the nature of the activities in which he was engaged. Mr C.C. Porter : Why have there been no referrals in two years? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Ask the police. Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
Mr C.C. Porter : Why have there been no referrals in two years? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Ask the police. Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : Ask the police. Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
Mr C.C. Porter : Are the reasons known to you? Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : It is the view of the police that the legislation has not proved to be as good as the police had hoped. If my memory serves me correctly, there was a very high-profile case of contempt involving an organised crime investigation into the Spider Boys about a shooting in a Perth nightclub. They refused to answer the questions and the provisions of the Corruption and Crime Commission Act in respect of contempt were found to be wanting, as I think were the processes adopted by the CCC and the nature of the questions it asked. Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
Mr C.C. Porter : Is there no organised crime to refer? Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
Mr J.A. McGINTY : Yes, there is. The police can also use other agencies such as the Australian Corruption Commission. It is my hope that as a result of the report that was tabled today and the legislative changes that will follow that, we will see a far greater use of the extraordinary powers that the CCC has to pursue organised criminals in Western Australia.
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