Today the Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee tabled its review of the administration and expenditure of Australian intelligence agencies for the 2017‑18 financial year, fulfilling one of its key statutory oversight responsibilities.
The Committee found that the Office of National Intelligence, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the Australia Secret Intelligence Services, the Australian Signals Directorate, the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence organisation and the Defence Intelligence Organisation are managing their administration and expenditure appropriately.
It recommended that the Australian Government ensure that the Office of National Intelligence is adequately resourced to facilitate national intelligence community-wide learning and development programs.
Committee Chair Andrew Hastie noted that the Office of National Intelligence’s mandate to manage the national intelligence community includes a responsibility to mature whole-of-community approaches to strategic workforce capability and development.
‘National intelligence community-wide training and development programs have the potential to increase connections between intelligence agencies, enhance staff mobility and deliver cost efficiencies.’
The Committee also recommended that the Australian Government review the application of the efficiency dividend to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and the Office of National Intelligence with a view to safeguarding their operational budgets.
