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Issue No. 139 | 07 June 2002 |
With Prejudice
Interview: Class Action Safety: A Mother's Tale Unions: The Hottest Seat in Town International: Defensive Enterprise Economics: A Super Deal? History: A Radical Life Media: Cross Purposes Review: When the Force Is Unconscious Poetry: Wouldn't It Be Loverly
Grieving Mum Turns Cole Around Hamberger Grilled Over AWA Scam Government Shrugs Off Death Sentence Charge Action To Pay Foreign Crew Aussie Wages Birds Get More Protection Than Workers Budget Delivers - But Not For DOCS Statewide Ban On Grain Loading Howard Soft On Organised Crime? UN Honours Building Union Drugs Program Award-Winning Poet Wins Right To Write Mahathir Told to Release Labour Activisits Horta Backs Western Sahara Independence
The Soapbox The Locker Room Bosswatch Week in Review
Robbo's Rave Latham Ad Nauseum Our Home Is Girt By Wire Hands Off Hooligans!
Labor Council of NSW |
Howard Soft On Organised Crime?
According to the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), the NCA's multi-discipline teams of police, lawyers, financial investigators and intelligence analysts have proved to be the most effective way of combating increasingly sophisticated national crime organisations. CPSU spokesperson Evan Hall says, "NCA staff feel the Howard Government is leaving a dangerous vacuum which puts the fight against national organised crime back 10 years. Drug trafficker and money launderers must be laughing out loud," said Hall. State and federal governments are currently at loggerheads over many aspects of the plan including funding and investigative powers. "It is widely acknowledged that the NCA is best placed to investigate national criminal activity and follow money trails across different jurisdictions. Despite this, the Government wants to strip the NCA of these roles and establish something called the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) which would simply collect intelligence and feed it to other enforcement organisations. "At the moment the NCA has extensive coercive powers, and like the criminals it pursues, it is not restricted by state boundaries. If this work is farmed out to state police, NCA staff fear an effective, nationally coordinated way of preventing crime will be lost," said Hall. The Federal Government want the plan implemented by January 2003 and legislation is to be put before Federal Cabinet on 17 July. However, any change to the NCA will also require joint complimentary legislation to be passed by each State.
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