Governance
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) governance framework supports performance across our agency, while ensuring we meet key accountability requirements.
To make sure we use our agency powers responsibly, effectively and in accordance with the law at all times, we are properly subject to significant internal and external oversight.
Executive oversight includes:
- Attorney-General
- Attorney-General’s Department
- Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security
- National Anti-Corruption Commission
- Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement
- Senate Estimates Committee (Legal and Constitutional Affairs)
- Inter-Governmental Committee on the Australian Crime Commission
- Commonwealth Ombudsman
- Judicial Review – primarily through the Federal Court of Australia
- Australian National Audit Office.
Agency reporting
As part of the government's ongoing commitment to give Australians greater access to relevant government information quickly and easily, the original Senate Order was amended in 1998. The continuing order for indexed lists of departmental and agency files (on the Parliament of Australia website) requires departments to list these files on their websites.
The lists are tabled twice a year, once in the Spring sittings (comprising file titles created in the preceding January to June) and once in the Autumn sittings (comprising file titles created in the preceding July to December).
Relevant files relate to our agency's policy advice functions including any relating to the development of legislation and other matters of public administration. Exemptions are:
- files transferred to the National Archives of Australia
- case-related files (for example, personal representations or dealing with the personal affairs of departmental or agency clients or taxpayers)
- files essentially related to the internal administration of our agency (for example, staff or personnel matters)
- files related to national security matters.
2023
2022
Paragraph 11.1(ba) of the Legal Services Directions 2017, issued by the Attorney-General under the Judiciary Act 1903, requires Chief Executives of agencies subject to the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 to ensure that their agencies’ legal services purchasing, including expenditure, is appropriately recorded and monitored and that, by 30 October each year, the agency makes publicly available records of the legal services expenditure for the previous financial year.
This obligation was included in the Directions to enhance the transparency of legal services expenditure recording and reporting in line with the findings of the Australian National Audit Office in its report on Legal Services Arrangements in the Australian Public Service (Report No. 52 of 2004–05).
The ACIC’s reports on legal services expenditure for past financial years, including external and internal expenditure, can be accessed below.
The ACIC was formed in July 2016 when the Australian Crime Commission and CrimTrac merged. Reports on 2015–16 legal expenditure for these two former agencies are set out in the following statements:
The Joint ACIC-AIC Audit Committee (Committee) has been established on the authority of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and the Director, Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) (Director) in compliance with section 45 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act) and PGPA Rule section 17-Audit Committee for Commonwealth entities.
You can view the Audit Committee Charter below:
Pursuant to the Senate Order on non-corporate Commonwealth entity contracts, the ACIC provides a list of procurement contracts entered into which provide for a consideration to the value of $100,000 or more (GST inclusive) and which:
- have not been fully performed as at 30 June 2023, or
- have been entered into during the 12 months prior to 30 June 2023.
All procurement contracts required to be listed pursuant to the Senate Order can be found on the AusTender website.
Most of the contracts listed contain confidentiality provisions of a general nature that are designed to protect the confidential information of the parties that may be obtained or generated in carrying out the contract. The reasons for including such clauses include:
- ordinary commercial prudence that requires protection of trade secrets, proprietary information and the like, and/or
- protection of other Commonwealth material and personal information.
The accountable authority of the ACIC has assured that the listed contracts do not contain any inappropriate confidentiality provisions.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission has estimated its cost of complying with the Senate Order is $1708. This is determined by calculating the time taken to collect, analyse and compile the information and applying salary costs and on-costs.
Remuneration paid to substantive senior executive officers in 2021–22
Total remuneration |
Executives no. |
Average reportable salary |
Average contributed superannuation |
Average allowances |
Average bonus paid |
Average total remuneration |
$220,000 and less |
7 |
$89,169 |
$14,470 |
$854 |
Nil |
$106,788 |
$220,001 – $245,000 |
6 |
$199,997 |
$27,470 |
$1,514 |
Nil |
$233,498 |
$245,001 – $270,000 |
2 |
$216,469 |
$34,438 |
$1,586 |
Nil |
$257,819 |
$270,001 – $295,000 |
4 |
$231,962 |
$39,279 |
$9,558 |
Nil |
$286,806 |
$320,001 – $345,000 |
1 |
$273,439 |
$30,486 |
$1,586 |
Nil |
$312,173 |
.............. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$495,001 – $520,000 |
1 |
$435,496 |
$55,369 |
Nil |
Nil |
$501,373 |
Total executive |
21 |
|
|
|
|
|
Key requirements/definitions
This table reports substantive senior executives who received remuneration during the reporting period. Each row is an averaged figure based on headcount for individuals in the band.
- Base salary includes salary paid or due to the employee for the year; it includes net annual leave (total annual accrual minus leave taken in this financial year) and any applicable acting allowances.
- Superannuation is subject to the Public Sector Superannuation Scheme, Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme and Public Sector Superannuation Accumulation Plan rules. Superannuation contributions are the 2021–22 contributions by the ACIC to the applicable superannuation fund. They do not include employees’ post-tax contributions or additional lump sum payments.
- CEO salary is subject to a 2022 full-time office holder Remuneration Tribunal determination. The ACIC CEO is also the Director of the Australian Institute of Criminology. The full cost of the ACIC CEO is included above.
In the course of my duties as agency head of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, I received the following gifts and/or benefits whose value exceeds the stipulated threshold of $AUD100.00 (excluding GST).
Date received |
Gift or Benefit |
Received by (agency contact if not received directly by agency head) |
Presented by |
Occasion |
Estimated Value $AUD |
February 2020 |
National Press Club Membership |
N/A |
National Press Club of Australia |
Gift given following presentation. |
$165 |