To address the threat of transnational serious and organised crime in Australia, The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) uses specialised capabilities and powers to gather, assess, and share actionable intelligence with domestic and international law enforcement and intelligence partners.
This involves participating in multi-agency task forces to investigate and collect intelligence on high-risk criminal entities. The ACIC’s special investigations and operations support board-established task forces, promoting collaboration to disrupt criminal enterprises through intelligence-led responses.
ACIC Board approved task forces
National Task Force Morpheus
The ACIC is part of National Task Force Morpheus, a joint effort with Australian and New Zealand law enforcement to target high-threat outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs). Through Morpheus, agencies use their capabilities to address OMCG risks and criminal activity by:
- Understanding OMCG crime.
- Developing prevention and disruption strategies.
- Identifying factors aiding OMCG resilience.
- Preventing OMCG infiltration into legitimate businesses.
- Confiscating illicit profits.
- Targeting facilitators of OMCG activities.
Morpheus provides a nationally coordinated response to OMCGs, overseen by the National OMCG Managers Group.
Vestigo Task Force
The ACIC leads the Vestigo Task Force, which enhances collaboration and information sharing with Australian and international partners, including the Five Eyes Law Enforcement Group. The task force targets high-risk serious and organised crime entities overseas or with links to overseas criminals impacting Australia.
Vestigo represents a shift to proactive international engagement, supporting various operations and investigations against serious and organised crime threatening Australia.
Task Force Reston
Task Force Reston supports the Fraud Fusion Taskforce by sharing criminal information and developing national responses to prevent and disrupt fraud within Australian Government payments and programs. The Fraud Fusion Centre, comprising investigators, intelligence analysts, and data specialists, contributes critical intelligence to these efforts. The task force targets serious and organised crime networks exploiting government programs. The Fraud Fusion Taskforce is led by the National Disability Insurance Agency and Services Australia.
Joint task forces
The ACIC also cooperates with joint organised crime task forces in Victoria, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce
Serious and organized crime costs Australia billions annually, posing a significant threat to national security. Established in 2011, the Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) targets criminal wealth and confiscates assets to disrupt and deter organised crime. Led by the AFP, CACT includes the ACIC, ATO, AUSTRAC, and Australian Border Force. This task force combines the expertise of police, litigators, financial investigators, forensic accountants, and specialists. CACT collaborates with domestic and international law enforcement to investigate and litigate asset confiscation.
Illicit Tobacco Taskforce
In May 2018, the Government announced measures to combat the illicit tobacco trade, including establishing the Illicit Tobacco Taskforce (ITTF) as part of the ‘Black Economy Package.’ Launched on July 1, 2018, the ITTF aims to protect Commonwealth revenue by targeting and dismantling serious actors and organized crime syndicates involved in illicit tobacco.
Led by the Australian Border Force (ABF), the taskforce includes the Department of Home Affairs, ACIC, AUSTRAC, CDPP, and ATO. The ITTF uses a range of options and legislative powers to effectively combat illicit tobacco trade.
Phoenix Taskforce
Established in 2014, the Phoenix Taskforce combats illegal phoenixing by detecting, deterring, and disrupting such activities. It educates businesses on legal compliance and collaborates with industries to eliminate opportunities for illegal phoenixing. The taskforce agencies share information and use data-matching tools to identify offenders.
Actions against phoenix operators include:
- Disrupting their business model to make it financially unviable.
- Removing their ability to operate.
- Applying financial penalties.
- Prosecuting severe offenders.
Serious cases are referred to the Serious Financial Crime Taskforce. Civil and criminal penalties exist for those involved in illegal phoenixing, including hiding assets from creditors. ASIC and liquidators can recover assets for employees and creditors. Suspected phoenix activities can lead to estimating liabilities, holding directors personally liable, and retaining refunds for businesses not meeting their lodgement obligations.
Serious Financial Crime Taskforce
The Serious Financial Crime Taskforce (SFCT), led by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), was established on July 1, 2015. This joint-agency taskforce combines the expertise, resources, and experience of various law enforcement and regulatory agencies, including the ACIC, to identify and combat the most serious and complex types of financial crime.
The current focus of the SFCT is on:
- Professional enablers.
- Technology enabled crime.
- Value flows between connected criminal syndicates.
Black Economy Standing Taskforce
In December 2016, the government established the Black Economy Taskforce to develop an innovative, multi-pronged policy response to combat the shadow economy in Australia.
In response to the recommendations of the Black Economy Taskforce final report – October 2017, the government announced a whole-of-government package for tackling the shadow economy.
By the end of June 2021 (three years into the program), an additional $2.6 billion had been raised from new and enhanced enforcement strategies.
Key takeaways
The ACIC employs a robust and multifaceted approach to combat transnational serious and organised crime through its participation in various multi-agency task forces. By leveraging specialized capabilities, the ACIC gathers, assesses, and disseminates critical intelligence in collaboration with domestic and international partners. This coordinated effort involves a range of task forces, each targeting specific criminal activities such as outlaw motorcycle gangs, fraud, illicit tobacco, and illegal phoenixing. Through these initiatives, the ACIC and its partners work together to disrupt and deter criminal enterprises, thereby enhancing national security and protecting Australia’s financial integrity.
