Skip to content
Crime

PJCIS satisfied with operation of intelligence agencies amidst changing security environment

Parliament of Australia 2 mins read

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has today tabled its annual review of six Australian intelligence agencies. The review, covering the 2020-2021 period, found that amidst a changing strategic environment and facing the significant impact of COVID-19, Australia’s intelligence agencies largely worked in an effective, and increasingly collaborative, manner.

‘The Committee found that, on the whole, agencies performed their roles well, particularly considering the challenging operational environment faced over the reporting period’, said Committee Chair, Mr Peter Khalil MP.

The Committee made four recommendations. Noting the increasing phenomenon of harmful disinformation during 2020 and 2021, the Committee recommended that the Director-General of Security consider opportunities to report to Australians on the prevalence of disinformation, misinformation and harmful propaganda that threaten Australia’s national security.

Two further recommendations focused on improving the sharing of information with the Committee by intelligence agencies as well as the Auditor-General. The remaining recommendation addressed staffing within the National Intelligence Community (NIC), and recommended that the Office of National Intelligence work with the NIC to develop consistent data collection on staff movements, with a focus on attraction and retention of staff to the NIC.

Mr Khalil said, ‘The people who work in Australia’s intelligence agencies are our greatest asset. By developing a whole-of-NIC recruitment and retention strategy, Australia will be better positioned to deliver on its intelligence priorities.’

‘This includes securing a recruitment pipeline through effective security clearance processes as well as maintaining the ‘value-proposition’ agencies offer, to remain market competitive,’ added Mr Khalil.

The Committee’s report can be found at the following link.

Media inquiries

Chair Mr Peter Khalil MP, via Lachlan Hinds
0455 999 677
[email protected]

For background information

Committee Secretariat
02 6277 2360
[email protected]

For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track this Committee’ button in the bottom right hand corner of the page.

More from this category

  • Crime, General News
  • 29/04/2025
  • 06:00
UNSW Sydney / Childlight

Australians want action to protect children online: new poll

Australians support stronger safeguards to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse online, a recent opinion poll shows. A representative survey of 1005 adults by research firm Norstat for the Childlight East Asia and Pacific Hub at UNSW Sydney has found significant public concern about the online safety of children – and support for government intervention. Ahead of the federal election, it has led Childlight, a global child safety institute, to urge Australian politicians to make online child safety a national priority. The poll results indicate that almost three quarters of Australians (73%) believe children are not safe on social…

  • Contains:
  • Crime, General News
  • 09/04/2025
  • 01:00
UNSW Sydney

Dating apps: experts urge stronger regulation to protect against child sex offenders

Researchers call for stricter regulation of dating apps, as a new report co-led by UNSW Sydney reveals men who sexually offend against children are using online matchmaking services at high rates. Child sexual predators are lurking on dating sites, and identity checks and tools to detect their behaviours need to be urgently implemented. That is the finding from anew report into child sexual exploitationthat calls for compulsory protection measures and greater accountability of dating app platforms to stop legitimate users from matching with offenders. The research, led by theChildlight East Asia and Pacific Hubbased out ofUNSW Sydneyand in partnership with…

  • Crime, Employment Relations
  • 01/04/2025
  • 15:20
PSA

Junee prison officers celebrate public sector victory despite Cooke’s opposition

The Public Service Association has today celebrated the successful transition ofJunee Correctional Centre back into public hands, marking a historic victory for prison officers, inmates, and the local community despite ongoing misrepresentations by Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke. "Today is a landmark day for correctional services in NSW—the beginning of better working conditions, enhanced safety standards, and proper public accountability at Junee," said PSA General Secretary Stewart Little. "After decades of profit-driven management that prioritised shareholders over safety and rehabilitation, the Minns Government has delivered on its commitment to return this essential public service to public hands where it belongs.…

Media Outreach made fast, easy, simple.

Feature your press release on Medianet's News Hub every time you distribute with Medianet. Pay per release or save with a subscription.