Good evening. I am delighted to be here tonight as Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, and as the Director of the Australian Institute of Criminology.
Can I begin by acknowledging some distinguished guests with us tonight.
Today, I am here to discuss something that affects almost every Australian - often in ways that are hidden, underestimated or misunderstood - serious and organised crime.
There is no doubt that the criminal landscape in Australia has fundamentally shifted. Today's serious and organised crime networks are borderless, decentralised, digitally enabled and increasingly embedded within legitimate systems. Many now operate with the agility and sophistication of multinational businesses: they are strategic, networked and adaptive.
Tonight I am also pleased to launch 2 public reports: the ACIC's Opening the books: the impact of serious and organised crime on Australia in 2025 and a report by the Australian Institute of Criminology The costs of serious and organised crime, 2023-24. Together, the purpose of these reports is to present the facts and provide clarity of how serious and organised crime operates, the widespread harm it causes and how it is evolving in the modern world.
The reports reveal - in stark detail - the scale, complexity and damage caused by serious and organised crime. This is also why I'm coming forward now to talk openly about what we know, what we face as a nation, and to highlight the important work we do with our many partners across the country and overseas, to counter this pervasive and insidious threat.
Popular culture has had a tendency to romanticise organised crime - through films and series like The Godfather, Narcos, Breaking Bad - while compelling and entertaining, they obscure the real-world consequences: the violence, the death, exploitation and victimisation, the corruption, and the billions of dollars in economic harm. There is nothing glamorous about the fear, or loss and suffering inflicted on victims, on their families and their communities.
In the old world of organised crime, 'opening the books' meant you were 'in', a 'made' man. But I am 'opening the books' today because transparency is essential to trust, to effective action, and to the safety and wellbeing of all Australians. In response to a threat that continues to evolve at pace, we can no longer arrest our way out of the problem. Building resilience must move beyond just enforcement - it requires a national, coordinated response informed by the best intelligence and research available.
The ACIC's journey: History, significance and future focus
I would like to spend a few moments talking about one of the organisations I lead - the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission - which is often described as 'highly secretive'. And to be fair - it has been. While we need to carefully protect our operations and capabilities, it has become equally important to shine a light on what we do and what we know. But, to understand where we are today, I think it's useful to reflect on where we have come from.
Over the decades, Australia has faced waves of criminal threats: from the razor gangs of the 1920s, the rise of the Calabrian mafia, to the emergence of outlaw motorcycle gangs to the complex transnational syndicates we see today.
In the 1970s and 80s, a series of Royal Commissions exposed the scale of organised crime in Australia and the limitations of traditional policing. These inquiries led to the establishment, in 1984, of a specialist crime fighting agency with unique coercive powers - the National Crime Authority, which then transitioned into the Australian Crime Commission in 2003. In 2016, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission we have today was formed, bringing together criminal intelligence, investigative and information-sharing functions to create a truly national capability.
Over this period, the ACIC has evolved from a law enforcement agency to a criminal intelligence organisation, using its specialised collection and analytical capabilities to reveal and get behind the highest threat crime organisations and syndicates, to understand the players, their networks and methods.
Our vision today is simple but ambitious: an Australia hostile to criminal exploitation. We know that effective intelligence work provides a competitive edge. If you can reveal the secrets of your enemies, you can find their weaknesses and better target your disruptive efforts.
The past year has been particularly significant for the ACIC. In recognition of the complexity and scale of serious and organised crime, the Australian Government took action in commissioning - and, in November 2024, releasing its response to - the Independent Review of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and associated Commonwealth law enforcement arrangements. The Review's recommendations set out a clear blueprint to further strengthen the ACIC's ability to combat the significant threat posed by serious and organised crime.
We are now acting on these recommendations as a matter of priority. We're sharpening our focus on high threat criminal behaviour and applying our intelligence capabilities - to obtain, analyse, and share insights that better enable our enforcement partners to target their efforts and disrupt and prevent harm. We are investing in the skills of our people, our technology and our partnerships. And we are working closely with government to ensure our legislation empowers our role as Australia's national criminal intelligence agency.
Importantly - we are committed to losing the moniker of being 'highly secretive' by enhancing public and industry engagement, as demonstrated by today's address and the release of these 2 public reports. While there will always be a need to protect sensitive sources, methodologies and capabilities - there is much that can, and should, be shared with the public about the threat posed and impact of serious and organised crime on our nation, communities and citizens.
Australia deserves our best efforts to effectively target these malign networks and their enablers, and to help harden Australia against criminal exploitation - wherever it arises and in whatever form it takes.
The impact and harm of serious and organised crime
When we talk about serious and organised crime, it's very easy to become overwhelmed by the scale of the problem. The statistics are staggering. In 2023-24 alone, the direct and indirect cost of organised crime to Australia reached $82.3 billion - a figure that has risen by more than $13 billion in the last 12 months.
The biggest proportion of this cost is associated with the illicit drug trade, which hit $19 billion. In addition to the economic loss as a result of expenditure on illicit substances, this figure also factors in lost productivity and output due to drug dependency, illness, treatment and death.
There are also consequential costs associated with drug-fuelled crime such as burglary, vehicle theft, assaults and other acts of violence.
Unfortunately, Australians appear to have an insatiable appetite for illicit drugs. The latest report of the ACIC's National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program, revealed a dramatic surge in the consumption of 4 major illicit drugs - methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and heroin. Wastewater analysis revealed that in a single year, Australians consumed a shocking 22.2 tonnes of these substances, marking a 34% increase from the previous year and the highest level recorded since monitoring began in 2016.
This escalation is obviously deeply concerning, particularly as meth, which causes significant health and community harm, accounts for over half of this consumption. These volumes represent the scale of the challenge facing not only law enforcement and intelligence agencies, but also health and community services nationally.
The second most significant cost is attributed to serious financial crime. Organised criminals target Australia's banking, investment, and superannuation and tax sectors, as well as individuals, businesses and government entities. They carry out complex financial frauds that result in direct losses and indirect damage to institutional reputations and personal financial security. In 2023-24, these crimes cost Australia approximately $13.2 billion.
While the financial impact is staggering - the human impact is also very real. Behind every dollar lost to organised criminals, are stories of victimisation, devastated families, damaged communities and lost lives.
The hidden web
Serious and organised crime is not a single syndicate or a shadowy figure in a back alley. It is a hidden web - complex, adaptive and ever-changing. Today's criminal networks operate like multinational corporations. They are borderless, decentralised and digitally enabled. They move money, drugs, people and data with the click of a button, and they are highly adept at exploiting vulnerabilities in our systems.
They are not just 'gangsters' in the traditional sense. They are business people, technologists, opportunists. They embed themselves in legitimate industries - like construction, logistics, finance, even healthcare and recruiting, leveraging a range of trusted insiders to provide them privileged access and information to facilitate their nefarious activities.
They exploit vulnerabilities in our border controls, sometimes with the help of insiders in the aviation and maritime sectors. In one case, a baggage handler at Sydney airport was prosecuted for delivering up to a tonne of cocaine using his privileged access - a stark reminder that the threat is not just 'out there,' it can also be hiding within our own systems.
Criminal networks use encrypted communications, digital currencies and shell companies to obscure their activities. Driven by profit, they are collaborating more than ever outside of traditional hierarchical and familial models, forming alliances with other syndicates and sometimes even with hostile state actors.
Staying ahead of these evolving and resilient criminal enterprises requires a persistent and coordinated effort on the part of multiple agencies and overseas partners.
The human cost
But what does this mean for ordinary Australians and why should they care?
As I mentioned before, it's easy to think organised crime has nothing to do with me. But the reality is quite different. Organised criminality can - and does - impact everyday Australians both directly and indirectly.
If I were to draw on a current example, it would be to emphasise the emergence of a criminal network highlighted by Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett at her recent National Press Club address. This is a particularly disturbing emergence of loosely affiliated decentralised networks of distinct, yet overlapping online chatgroups. As outlined by Commissioner Barrett, members of this network - many of them young men - engage in a blend of online and real-world criminal activities, such as child sextortion, sadistic online exploitation, cybercrime and violent extremism. They target children and vulnerable people, manipulating and coercing them into producing increasingly harmful content. The psychological damage is profound. In some cases, online sextortion has been linked to youth suicides. These are not crimes that happen 'somewhere else' - they are happening here, in our communities, and could be impacting our children and our vulnerable family members.
In addition to new and emerging threats, we're also seeing the activities of more traditional organised crime groups intensifying. Consider the story of Australia's illicit tobacco market. Since 2023, efforts by organised crime groups to control the illicit tobacco and vape market have led to over 200 fire bombings, at least 3 homicides - including an innocent civilian - and countless acts of intimidation and extortion.
Legitimate businesses have been forced to close their doors. Billions of dollars in lost tax revenue means less money for hospitals, schools and essential services. Organised crime syndicates then recycle these illicit proceeds into a range of other criminal activities, further impacting community safety, security and the broader social fabric. And the violence is not contained - it spills out into the streets, affecting bystanders and entire neighbourhoods.
Many of these criminal syndicates deal in a variety of illicit commodities, from drugs to tobacco to firearms to human trafficking, allowing them to shift their supply to meet a variety of demands no matter the human cost.
Exploitation of the vulnerable
Serious and organised crime preys on the vulnerable. Offshore scam centres, often run by transnational syndicates, are robbing Australians of their life savings, retirement funds and identities. The victims are not just statistics - they are parents, grandparents and young people, left devastated by financial loss and the long, stressful process of recovering their identities. In many cases, the harm is enduring, with stolen identities used to commit further crimes or deny victims access to credit and services.
Organised crime also systematically defrauds government programs designed to help those most in need. The National Disability Insurance Scheme, for example, has been targeted by criminals who coerce vulnerable clients, siphoning off funds meant for care and support. The result is not just financial loss, but mental anguish for the victims and their families, and a loss of trust in the very systems that are designed to protect them.
In recent years, the ACIC has detected organised crime groups using incentive payments or 'kickbacks' to defraud the NDIS to the tune of millions of dollars. These groups were colluding with allied health professionals and seeking to coerce prospective NDIS participants, including those from non-English speaking backgrounds, with little or no support networks, and with significant disabilities.
In another case, earlier this year, we identified that a number of fraudulent NDIS providers also had footprints across other Australian Government Payment Programs. They frequently targeted childcare services, with many exploiting charities for tax evasion and money laundering. Some of these individuals also procured fake qualifications in other industries, raising further risks of harm to vulnerable Australians.
In both these circumstances, the ACIC worked with law enforcement and National Disability Insurance Agency partners to disrupt these activities.
These greedy organised fraudsters have no regard for the harm they cause, the vulnerable individuals they exploit, or the broader impact they have on these essential government programs.
Business under siege
Legitimate businesses are also impacted. Organised crime distorts markets, drives up costs and undermines fair competition. In sectors like tobacco, construction, and logistics, criminals use violence, intimidation and corruption to take over market share. Small businesses in areas affected by fire bombings or drug activity see their foot traffic and revenue plummet. Insurance premiums rise and the cost is passed on to consumers. Even sporting institutions are affected, with illegal betting and match‑fixing undermining the integrity of competitions.
A threat to national security
The threat is not just local - it's national and global. Many of the highest-risk criminal networks targeting Australia now are based offshore, taking advantage of geopolitical instability and weak governance. They're involved in drug trafficking, money laundering, human exploitation, cybercrime and more. Increasingly, we are seeing links between organised crime and hostile foreign state actors with criminal groups being used as proxies by foreign powers to achieve their geostrategic objectives further blurring the lines and complicating the threat environment.
This convergence of threats is one of the reasons I chose to deliver my first address here, at the National Security College, which has been adept in its programming at drawing the thread through these strategic threat vectors, and helping to bridge gaps between government, academia, industry and the public.
Technology as a force multiplier
One of the most significant drivers of growth in criminality is technology, which features prominently in almost all organised crime enterprises and has acted as a both a force multiplier and a way to further obscure their illicit activities. Criminals are very quick to adopt new tools - artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, 3D-printed weapons. They do this to both scale their operations and evade detection. They use encrypted messaging, bespoke apps and devices to plan and coordinate the shipment of their illicit commodities, launder their money and to recruit new members.
The next generation
Perhaps most worrying is the recruitment and grooming of young people. Organised crime networks target minors for their unique value - they are cheaper to hire, more easily manipulated and more accessible online. They are also seen as more dispensable if arrested or killed. What begins as petty crime can easily escalate. One notable group, which started as a youth gang in the late 2000s, has evolved into a major organised crime network, running independent drug ventures and illicit finance operations. The trajectory is clear: today's youth offenders can become tomorrow's high-threat syndicates.
The cycle of violence
The violence associated with organised crime is also becoming more visible and more brazen, with innocent bystanders and businesses caught in the crossfire. Daylight shootings, arson attacks and public acts of intimidation are becoming more common. Some groups film and share footage of their crimes, spreading fear and normalising violence.
So called 'kill crews' - the latest version of guns for hire - are another example of the emerging 'crime-as-a-service' business model. These individuals are hired by criminal syndicates through encrypted communications channels and other secure digital applications, without a dedicated affiliation to any specific criminal group. The increased frequency and intensity of this violence results in our communities feeling less safe, less secure and more divided.
A global enterprise
As I mentioned earlier, serious and organised crime is a truly global enterprise. Drugs and their precursors are produced in Mexico, Southeast Asia and China, and shipped to Australia through a variety of transit countries - including the Pacific.
Online scam centres in Southeast Asia target Australians with sophisticated investment and romance scams, laundering the proceeds through complex networks of shell companies and cryptocurrencies. The illicit trade in natural resources - such as wildlife and timber - fuels environmental destruction while providing new revenue streams for criminal groups. This points to the ongoing need and ongoing importance of strong international partnerships, timely intelligence sharing and joint approaches to disrupting these transnational threats.
The true cost
All of this comes at a cost - a cost measured not just in dollars, but in lives, wellbeing and trust. In isolation, the impacts to individuals can appear insignificant or too distant from the source to identify, but when the full spectrum of serious and organised crime harms and costs are combined, we can easily see the enormous damage absorbed by the Australian community.
A call to awareness
So, what is being done - and what do we have to do?
I might be a little bit biased here, but I think I've been around long enough to know that Australia has world class intelligence, border and law enforcement agencies. And Australians should have confidence in the strength of our national response. You need only glance at the daily media headlines to see the results.
Every day, Commonwealth agencies and our state and territory partners work together seamlessly, to detect and disrupt these criminal networks. Major drug and illicit tobacco seizures, arrests, scam centre takedowns, and the dismantling of violent syndicates are not isolated successes - they are the product of persistent, coordinated, intelligence-led action. And these determined efforts will continue to foil the activities of criminal actors, deprive them of their illicit profits and make it more difficult for them to succeed.
However, the scale and complexity of the threat does mean that law enforcement responses, alone, are not enough.
To further harden the environment against serious and organised crime, we need collaborative, non-traditional interventions in addition to ongoing enforcement action. This means:
- Strengthening partnerships across government, industry and the community.
- Continuing to invest in intelligence, technology and data analytics to stay ahead of criminal innovation.
- Building public awareness and resilience so that individuals and businesses can recognise and resist criminal exploitation.
- Continuing to enhance legislative and regulatory frameworks to close loopholes and disrupt criminal business models.
- Supporting victims and vulnerable populations to raise awareness of the risks and ensure that those harmed by crime are not left behind.
A united front
While the scale of harm is significant, Australians can be assured that our agencies are committed, capable and united in the fight. We are also committed to increased transparency and accountability. By 'opening the books', we are inviting scrutiny, fostering trust and empowering all sectors of our society to be part of the solution.
Serious and organised crime is a national challenge - one that affects us all, whether we see it or not. The harm is real, the costs are rising and the threat is evolving. But so too is our response.
By sharing what we know and by working together, we can build a more resilient Australia. We can protect our communities, and our national interests - because resilience is built together, through awareness, vigilance and action.
Thank you very much.
