Aust. steps up war on drug criminals

Press, 22 September 1980, Page 22

Aust. steps up war on drug criminals

NZPA Canberra The Australian Federal Government has announced a judicial inquiry into the activities of big criminal groups involved in drug trafficking. The Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) s.-.ld it would have the powers of a Royal Commission and had been prompted by a Victorian Coroner’s findings into the deaths of two New Zealanders, Douglas and Isobel Wilson, and the report of the New South Wales Woodward Commission into drug trafficking. Mr Fraser said present law-enforcement methods had had only limited success in bringing members of these criminal groups to justice. "The threat to the maintenance of law and order and to the' community presented by the activities of some big drug-traffick-ing- groups requires new approaches and methods,” Mr Fraser said. The starting date for the inquiry would depend on the completion of consultations with the states and la w-en forcemen t agencies. The inquiry would in-

elude a Federal-state mult i-discipline task group, including Federal and state police officers, lawyers, and people experienced in accounting and banking. Mr Fraser said joint Commonwealth-state police task groups had already been established to deal with particular aspects of the drug problem. However, the report of the Victorian Coroner into the death of Douglas and Isobel Wilson had indicated large-scale drug trafficking at enormous profit. “One of the criminal groups in Australia appears to have engaged in corruption of several law-enforcement agencies.” Mr Fraser said.

The inquiry would be empowered to compel answers to questions although these questions would not be admissible in subsequent prosecutions for offences against other laws. “The first task will be to inquire into the activities of the group identified in the Victorian Coroner’s report in regard to drug trafficking and corruption of law enforce-

ment bodies,” Mr Fraser said. "However, it is envisaged that the inquiry and task group will be given supplementary terms of reference referring to the activities of other specific drug trafficking groups as the occasion arises." Mr Fraser said he had written to the Premiers of New South Wales (Mr Neville Wran), Victoria. (Mr Richard Hamer) and Queensland (Mr Jo. Bjelke-Petersen) seeking their co-operation in the proposed action. As the occasion arose, the other states and the Northern Territory would be invited to participate. Mr Fraser said the Federal Government had also decided to support the establishment of the Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence, which was recommended at a meeting of Police Ministers in August. He said its task represented a long-term approach to the problem of crime generally throughout Australia.

The judicial inquiry, he said, sought to attack the special problem of big drug-trafficking groups.