Legislation giving law enforcement stronger powers to investigate and disrupt organised crime and increasing penalties for those who facilitate serious offending have passed NSW Parliament.
The Crimes and Other Legislation Amendment (Further Organised Crime Reforms) Bill 2026 passed Parliament last night. It included new powers for the NSW Crime Commission and NSW Police to combat organised crime. It also introduces tougher penalties for those who plan and facilitate organised crime murders and exposes children who carry out shootings or firebombings to adult maximum penalties.
Strengthening the Crime Commission
The package gives the Crime Commission the ability to compel suspects to hand over their digital devices immediately to prevent the destruction of crucial evidence.
Previously, the Crime Commission could require someone to provide a device or document and bring it to a hearing. But it could not compel them to provide access at the point of being served a summons.
The change means suspects will not be able to hide or destroy evidence in the lead up to a hearing. Those who refuse to comply face up to four years' jail, a $4,400 fine or both and can be held in contempt of the Crime Commission.
The legislation also doubles maximum penalties to 10 years for failing to comply with Crime Commission orders - including refusing to answer questions, obstructing investigations or giving false and misleading evidence.
Expanded police powers
Police can more quickly access suspects' phones. New Digital Evidence Access Orders allow police to compel access to assist with organised crime investigations including drug or illicit tobacco, firebombings and public shootings.
Previously, someone could only be ordered to unlock a device if it was seized as part of a search or crime warrant.
Police will also be able to access unredacted images from public toll road cameras if they're investigating serious indictable offences or missing persons cases.
Police will initially have access to these images on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and in the Sydney Harbour Tunnel before access is expanded to other public roads.
The legislation also introduces Interim Serious Crime Prevention Orders allowing police to immediately restrict the activities of high-risk suspects while they apply to the court for a final order.
Restrictions can include limiting who someone can associate with, where they go and conditions about access to devices, the internet and tech platforms.
The new powers are accompanied by an additional $15 million to help crack encrypted devices and digital platforms linked to organised crime and more than $108 million in the 2026-27 Budget for technology upgrades.
Tougher consequences for organised crime
The legislation expands NSW's existing Serious Children's Indictable Offence (SCIO) scheme to cover additional offences linked to organised crime including shootings and firebombings.
The four additional SCIOs brings to 55 the number of serious offences in NSW requiring children to be tried or sentenced as adults in District or Supreme courts where they face higher maximum penalties.
Criminals who are involved in planning a murder also face increased maximum penalties up to life imprisonment even if they do not carry out the killing.
Additional offences will be created targeting those who administer or encourage the use of digital platforms to arrange or facilitate organised crime.
Face matching
The reforms facilitate NSW's participation in the Commonwealth's face-matching regime to help prevent stolen identity documents being used for organised crime.
Transport for NSW will be able to securely share driver licence and photo card imagines through a centralised Commonwealth database to help prevent fraud.
Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley said:
"This suite of reforms gives our law enforcement agencies the powers they need to tackle organised crime at every turn.
"NSW Police are relentless. With more than 800 arrests and 2100 charges under their belt as part of Taskforce Falcon, they will stop at nothing to keep our communities safe.
"Organised criminals are coordinated and these extraordinary powers will only build on NSW Police's efforts to arrest, disrupt and dismantle organised criminal networks and put them before the courts."
Attorney General Michael Daley said:
"This important legislation gives law enforcement they need to hold organised criminals to account and ensures they face tougher consequences for unacceptable violence.
"We are making sure our laws keep pace with the evolving tactics used by organised criminals and their associates to plan, facilitate and evade detection for heinous crimes."
