PARLIAMENTARY CRIME AND MISCONDUCT COMMITTEE Report No 86, May 2012 Three Yearly Review of the Crime and Misconduct Commission Legislative Assembly of Queensland Parliamentary Crime and Misconduct Committee Three Yearly Review of the Crime and Misconduct Commission Report No. 86 Membership of the PCMC To 16 June 2011 CHAIRPERSON: Mr Paul Hoolihan MP Member for Keppel DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON: Mr Jack Dempsey MP Member for Bundaberg MEMBERS: Mr Steven Dickson MP Member for Buderim Mr Scott Emerson MP Member for Indooroopilly Mrs Betty Kiernan MP* Member for Mt Isa Ms Lillian van Litsenburg MP* Member for Redcliffe Mr Mark Ryan MP Member for Morayfield Mr Stephen Wettenhall MP Member for Barron River From 16 June 2011 CHAIRPERSON: Dr Alexander Douglas MP Member for Gaven DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON: Mr Evan Moorhead MP Member for Waterford MEMBERS: Ms Grace Grace MP Member for Brisbane Central Mr Andrew Powell MP** Member for Glass House Mr Vaughan Johnson MP** Member for Gregory Mr Mark Ryan MP Member for Morayfield Mr Peter Wellington MP Member for Nicklin Mr Stephen Wettenhall MP Member for Barron River *Ms Lillian van Litsenburg MP replaced Mrs Betty Kiernan MP as a member of the PCMC on 9 February 2010 ** Mr Vaughan Johnson MP replaced Mr Andrew Powell MP as a member of the PCMC on 4 August 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAIRPERSON’S FOREWORD ....................................................................................................................................... III RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................................................................. VII 1. INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................................................1 1.1 BACKGROUND .......................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 THE REVIEW PROCESS................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.3 CONTEMPORANEOUS REVIEWS DURING THE REVIEW PERIOD.............................................................................................. 2 2. OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS AND STRUCTURE OF THE CMC ...............................................................................3 2.1 THE CRIME AND MISCONDUCT COMMISSION ................................................................................................................. 3 2.2 OVERVIEW OF THE CMC’S FUNCTIONS .......................................................................................................................... 3 2.3 THE COMMISSION..................................................................................................................................................... 4 2.4 TENURE OF ASSISTANT COMMISSIONERS AND SENIOR OFFICERS ......................................................................................... 8 2.5 CURRENT STRUCTURE OF THE CMC ............................................................................................................................ 14 2.6 CURRENT RESOURCES AND STAFFING........................................................................................................................... 17 3. COMBATING MAJOR CRIME.................................................................................................................................19 3.1 JURISDICTION – MAJOR CRIME .................................................................................................................................. 19 3.2 2009 LEGISLATIVE CHANGE – SCOTT V WITNESS C........................................................................................................ 20 3.3 PERFORMING THE CRIME FUNCTION............................................................................................................................ 20 3.4 MAJOR CRIME........................................................................................................................................................ 21 3.5 LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIPS ............................................................................................................................ 29 3.6 CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE ................................................................................................................................... 32 4. PROCEEDS OF CRIME ...........................................................................................................................................33 4.1 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................................................ 33 4.2 QUEENSLAND’S LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................................... 35 4.3 CONVICTION‐BASED CONFISCATION SCHEME................................................................................................................. 37 4.4 STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK .......................................................................................................................................... 38 4.5 SUCCESSFUL CONFISCATION ...................................................................................................................................... 38 4.6 MONEY LAUNDERING .............................................................................................................................................. 39 4.7 RESOURCES AND STAFFING........................................................................................................................................ 40 4.8 CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE ................................................................................................................................... 41 5. THE MISCONDUCT FUNCTION ..............................................................................................................................43 5.1 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................................... 43 5.2 THE CRIME AND MISCONDUCT COMMISSION’S MISCONDUCT FUNCTION............................................................................ 43 5.3 PERFORMING THE MISCONDUCT FUNCTION .................................................................................................................. 45 5.4 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PRINCIPLES OF DEALING WITH MISCONDUCT ....................................................................... 46 5.5 THE PRINCIPLE OF DEVOLUTION ................................................................................................................................. 47 5.6 THE CMC’S MONITORING ROLE AND CAPACITY BUILDING................................................................................................ 52 5.7 TIMELINESS............................................................................................................................................................ 57 5.8 THE CMC’S ONGOING ROLE IN THE POLICE COMPLAINTS, DISCIPLINE AND MISCONDUCT SYSTEM .......................................... 67 5.9 GOVERNMENT OWNED CORPORATIONS ...................................................................................................................... 69 5.10 PUBLICATION OF MATTERS REFERRED TO, OR UNDER CONSIDERATION BY, THE CMC............................................................. 73 5.11 QUEENSLAND CIVIL AND ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL ..................................................................................................... 82 6. INVESTIGATIVE POWERS AND HEARINGS .............................................................................................................87 6.1 INVESTIGATIVE POWERS ........................................................................................................................................... 87 6.2 USE AND OVERSIGHT OF THE CMC’S POWERS............................................................................................................... 89 6.3 TELECOMMUNICATIONS INTERCEPTION POWERS ........................................................................................................... 94 6.4 REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 3 & 4 OF THE CRIME AND MISCONDUCT ACT 2001 ........................................................................ 98 6.5 CMC HEARINGS ................................................................................................................................................... 100 i 7. THE INTELLIGENCE FUNCTION............................................................................................................................113 7.1 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................................... 113 7.2 BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................................................................... 113 7.3 STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE UNIT ................................................................................................................................113 7.4 OVERSIGHT OF THE INTELLIGENCE FUNCTION BY THE PARLIAMENTARY CRIME AND MISCONDUCT COMMISSIONER ................... 115 7.5 CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................................................