1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: New report from the Advisory Group on organized crime. This 2 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,560 Speaker 1: time it's focused on the accountability of our transnational response. 3 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:09,799 Speaker 1: We have sadly a lack of cohesion that is undermining 4 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 1: our ability to tackle this particular issue. The recommendation is 5 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:16,440 Speaker 1: a new government minister solely responsible for transnational crime. Steve Simon, 6 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:19,119 Speaker 1: of course chair of this Ministerial Advisory Group and is 7 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:20,640 Speaker 1: with us. Steve, very good morning to you. 8 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 2: Good morning here. 9 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,240 Speaker 1: I think I'm right in saying it's your number five now, 10 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:25,599 Speaker 1: aren't you? Report number five? 11 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:27,200 Speaker 2: That's correct? 12 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 1: Out of how many? How many are coming? 13 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:33,199 Speaker 2: This is our last monthly report before we have our 14 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 2: final report for September where we recommend the solution to 15 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 2: this problem of organized crime. 16 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:40,519 Speaker 1: As you sit here this morning and I don't want 17 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: a pre final report or report number six, Do you 18 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 1: have a solution? Do you have something that people can 19 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:46,159 Speaker 1: go ah, got it? 20 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:47,879 Speaker 2: Yes, we do. 21 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:48,520 Speaker 1: Good. 22 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 2: It will be bold and will require the government to 23 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 2: be bold. But we have a solution. 24 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 1: Fantastic And are you, from your experience and interactions with 25 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: the government so far bullish the possibility of that being 26 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: picked up and run with or you're a bit circumspects 27 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: still we're bullish. 28 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 2: We've got a lot of support. We've had a lot 29 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:14,559 Speaker 2: of encouragement from government, from agencies, from the public. It's 30 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 2: just as you know, whether that translates into the financial 31 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 2: support and the political will that it will need. 32 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 1: Okay, well, we'll get you back on the program at 33 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: the time. Back to this report. The cohesion or lack 34 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:27,960 Speaker 1: of between who sore you talking about the Board of 35 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: the Police, etc. 36 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 2: I take it we've got great work being done by 37 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 2: individual agencies, but each agency is focusing on their particular homework. 38 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 2: What we have a problem with is that siloed approach 39 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 2: is meaning we don't have an overall picture of what 40 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:44,440 Speaker 2: we're doing with organized crime. 41 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:49,440 Speaker 1: As can't surprise you. Presumably no, it doesn't. 42 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 2: We knew this from the start. We've got a lot 43 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 2: of experienced people in the committee who know this problem, 44 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 2: and what we're saying is, let's confront that problem, give 45 00:01:57,640 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 2: it a solution. Take one person who is responsible for 46 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 2: standing up in front of the public and saying, what 47 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 2: are we doing about organized crime? How are we taking 48 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 2: the faith? 49 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: Now? This is interesting because the New Zealand Initiative wrote 50 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: a report. In fact, it was a report of a 51 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,640 Speaker 1: report they'd done before. We have too many ministers in 52 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: this country, and the ministers are sliced up too many ways, 53 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: building and construction, housing, et cetera, all separate portfolios. This 54 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: in your area, presumably, is the same issue. 55 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:25,799 Speaker 2: We've got some thirteen ministers who could play a hand 56 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 2: in organized crime. Our point is that spread toothin. We 57 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 2: need someone that the government the public can look to 58 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:33,639 Speaker 2: to say this is the person who's taking the fight 59 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:36,519 Speaker 2: to organize crime, and then a supporter to make sure 60 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 2: those other agencies are doing their job as well as 61 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 2: they can. 62 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: So you need a Minister of organized crime, yes, right, 63 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: So the held accountable thing, who would it be, I 64 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,359 Speaker 1: mean just off that would it be naturally the police minister, 65 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,240 Speaker 1: or it could be anybody. 66 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 2: It could be any minister, our priority strong minister who 67 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 2: is in cabinet as a firm voice, because the task 68 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 2: that they would be taking on will be obviously a 69 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 2: very challenging one and quite confronting one, and so they're 70 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 2: going to have to be quite bold. 71 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: The held accountable part of it, lack of accountability. Is 72 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 1: it that they don't want to be held to account 73 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: or is it they can be held to account? They 74 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: just want to point the finger at somebody else at 75 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:25,959 Speaker 1: that department over there that's not doing their job. 76 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:29,520 Speaker 2: I think it's more a case of the agencies are 77 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 2: doing a good job a lot of there's a lot 78 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:34,240 Speaker 2: of good people working in these agencies doing a lot 79 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:36,480 Speaker 2: of good work, but there's no one standing back and 80 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 2: joining it together. For example, the information sharing report we 81 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 2: did last month where we talked about there isn't fluid 82 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 2: information sharing going across the agencies so that we can 83 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 2: target organized crime. No one's packing that up because it's 84 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 2: important to each individual agency, but no one's standing back 85 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 2: and saying, well, collectively, we need to do this if 86 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 2: we're going to fight organized crime properly. 87 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: Okay, do you feel at this particular point of the 88 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 1: cycle and your terms chair of this that you're adding 89 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: real value to the conversation, the knowledge and potentially an outcome. 90 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 1: In other words, this has been worth your while. 91 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 2: I think it has been worth my while. It's certainly 92 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 2: we're poured our energy into it. I've got a really 93 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 2: great committee that's very passionate about this work, and we're 94 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:22,160 Speaker 2: all at a station in our career where we're doing 95 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 2: this because we want to make a difference. The rhetoric 96 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 2: we're hearing is that we are making a difference. Even now, 97 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 2: we're seeing some response by agencies. We're seeing great support 98 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:34,680 Speaker 2: and the proof will be in the pudding next month. 99 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: Good stuff, mate, we'll catch up then. Appreciate it very much. 100 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: Steve Simon, chair of the Ministry really Advisory Group for 101 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: Organized Crime. 102 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 2: For more from The mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 103 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 2: news talks that'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 104 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:49,279 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.