C O R P O R A T I O N Looking to the Future of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) Assessment of the Consolidation of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) and the DIBP (2016–2017) Daniel M. Gerstein, Karen Edwards, Julie Newell, Dulani Woods For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RR2262 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this publication. ISBN: 978-0-8330-9996-9 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif. © Copyright 2018 RAND Corporation R® is a registered trademark. Limited Print and Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. 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Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org Preface On 7 May 2014, the government announced the integration of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Ser vice (ACBPS) and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) into a single government department, including the forma- tion of the Australian Border Force (ABF), to be accomplished by 1 July 2015.1 A year after the integration began, DIBP leadership sought an in de pen dent analy sis of the effectiveness and efficiency of the integrated department. In fulfilment of this requirement, RAND Australia conducted an evaluation of the newly integrated DIBP, which was completed in 2016. The DIBP has requested a second evaluation of the DIBP, considering the changes that have occurred since the publication of the previous study. This follow-on effort has two primary thrusts. The first is to update the previous analy sis from 2016 with the data and experiences gained in 2016–2017. The second is to identify lessons learned that could be useful in continuing the reform of the DIBP that continues tod ay and to inform the upcoming transition to an Australian Depart- ment of Home Affairs (HA). By necessity, this study builds on the previous findings and, therefore, uses the first study2 as the foundation for the analy sis. As such, it does not endeavour to repli- cate the previous effort, but rather commences from that starting point. Relevant documents and interviews with se nior leaders from across the department, including the ABF, we re undertaken. While documents dating back to 2005 provided the foundation for many judgments and findings in this report, RAND concentrated on 1 The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) has under gone a number of name changes since 2001. From 2001–2006, it was called the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA). From 2006–2007, it was the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA). From 2007–2013, it was called the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). It became the DIBP in 2013, and in July 2015 the ACBPS was integrated into the single department called the DIBP. For the purpose of this report, “Immigration” will be used to refer to the pre- integration DIBP and its antecedents, while “Customs” will refer to the ACBPS. For the post- integration period (that is, after July 2015), the organisation will be referred to as the DIBP. 2 Daniel M. Gerstein, Karen Edwards, Dulani Woods, Julie Newell, Jennifer D. P. Moroney, Assessment of the Consolidation of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP), Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND Corporation, RR-1713-AUS, 2016. As of December 22, 2017: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1713.html iii iv Looking to the Future of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection changes that have occurred during the period 2016–2017 and those efforts that are ongoing or planned as part of future DIBP reform efforts. The case for reform had been recognised in the earliest documents from 2005. Some changes had been implemented in a piecemeal fashion over the period from 2005 to 2015. However, these earlier efforts largely were designed to address specific shortfalls, not necessarily to build capacity and professionalise the organisations. Therefore, despite long and proud histories, neither organisation had developed the capabilities or profes- sionalisation in the workforce expected of a modern border management organisation. In looking at the reform, the analy sis concentrated on five areas, which had been specified by the DIBP leadership for additional scrutiny during the first study: (1) intel- ligence, (2) investigations, (3) detention, (4) integrity and corruption, and (5) learning and development (L&D). DIBP’s pro gress to ward completing the integration and reform has continued, although it has been uneven across the department. For example, in areas of policy, operations, and intelligence (POI), impor tant pro gress has been made toward the goals of integration and subsequent reform. However, in the enterprise, corporate, and man- agement areas (ECM), RAND identified shortfalls. In summary, many of the goals of integration and reform remain a work in pro gress. In these ECM areas, it will require continued pro gress and leadership attention to meet the goals set out in the original integration directives. Looking to the future, DIBP reform must continue to realise the full transformation of Customs and Immigration to ward the twenty- first- century border management institu- tions envisioned in the integration mandate. Many lessons have been learned over the past two years and these insights could be invaluable as the DIBP forms the core of HA. Furthermore, other organisational transformations undertaken by similar organ- isations provide impor tant insights into potential priorities for the establishment of HA and identification of potential pitfalls. In this analy sis, six— five international and one Australian— examples are examined. The overarching conclusion of the report is that impor tant pro gress has been made in building a modern border management capability for Australia. More work remains, but pro gress has been clear and unequivocal. The foundations of the DIBP are solid and will serve as a basis for the establishment of HA. The study sponsor was the DIBP, led by Secretary Michael Pezzullo, and acting Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram. The Office of the First Assis- tant Secretary, Enterprise Strategy, Reform, and Per for mance Division within the DIBP served as the primary interlocutors with the RAND study team and provided outstanding support to the study effort. Fi nally, the report reflects a combined effort within RAND by RAND Australia, RAND Justice, Infrastructure, and Environ- ment, and RAND National Security Research Division. Questions and comments about this report should be sent to the proj ect leader, Daniel M. Gerstein ([email protected]). Table of Contents Preface ................................................................................................. iii Figures .................................................................................................vii Tables .................................................................................................. ix Boxes ................................................................................................... xi Executive Summary ................................................................................xiii Acknowledgements ................................................................................. xix CHAPTER ONE Introduction ........................................................................................... 1 Study Objectives and Tasks ........................................................................... 1 Methodology ........................................................................................... 2 Study Caveats ........................................................................................... 3 CHAPTER TWO Follow- On Operational Assessment: Metrics and Overall Integration Pro gress ......... 5 Introduction ............................................................................................ 5 Overall Findings ....................................................................................... 5 Specific Findings ....................................................................................... 8 Operational Elements .................................................................................. 8 Implementation of the Integration and Reform Elements .......................................16 Conclusions ............................................................................................19 CHAPTER THREE Follow- On Operational Assessment: Examination