It is just two years since the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (Customs) and the Department of Immigration were merged into the current Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) which included the Australian Border Force (ABF) – with the ABF essentially conducting the former Customs role within the DIBP. The ABF is a separate statutory agency and it is uncertain at the time of writing whether it is to continue as part of the DIBP, or be separated and shifted away, with the DIBP retaining its immigration and trade policy role.
There will be ministerial changes with ASIO, the AFP and the ABF reporting to the new Home Affairs Minister, with a number of oversight bodies being moved into the portfolio of the Attorney-General. The agencies will be supported by the new central department which will oversee planning and policy, as well as co-ordinate responses of those agencies.
The relevant agencies in the new ministry’ will include ASIO, the AFP, the ABF, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, AUSTRAC and the OTS – who will retain their own current statutory independence.  The move is modelled more on the UK’s ‘Home Office’ concept rather than the United States’ Department of Homeland Security.
It will take time to set up the new Home Affairs ministry.  Planning to implement the necessary changes will be conducted within the Department of PM and Cabinet. We will report on this again when full details and implications are known.
