We play an important role in providing financial intelligence to partners in Australia and overseas. We do this by working with law enforcement, revenue and intelligence partners in a range of taskforces.
Our taskforce collaborations are diverse. They allow us to provide targeted, actionable intelligence by sharing information with partner agencies. This supports national security and law enforcement outcomes.
Taskforce focuses
We’re active members of and contributors to priority criminal threat taskforces that focus on:
- money laundering
- terrorism financing
- organised crime
- child sexual exploitation and human trafficking
- drugs
- fraud
- national security
- tax evasion.
Taskforce collaborations
All listed taskforces operate nationally.
| Task force | Summary |
|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand Child Exploitation Working Group | The Australia and New Zealand Child Exploitation Working Group is a national coordination group. It provides advice to the Serious and Organised Crime Coordination Committee on all matters relating to child protection and human trafficking. |
| Australia New Zealand Illicit Drugs Working Group | The Australia New Zealand Illicit Drugs Working Group is part of the law enforcement strategy under the Serious and Organised Crime Coordination Committee. It is focused on disrupting illicit drug activity. |
| Commonwealth Agencies Operations Centre (CAOC) | The CAOC coordinates and shares intelligence about detections at the Australian border. It connects national, state and territory arrangements to manage transnational, serious and organised crime. |
| Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce (CFITF) | The CFITF brings together relevant federal agencies. They work together to discover, disrupt and investigate foreign interference activity. |
| Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT) | The multi-agency CACT works together to identify and remove profits from serious and organised crime. |
| Electoral Integrity Assurance Taskforce (EIAT) | The EIAT brings together relevant federal agencies. They work together to give information and advice to the Electoral Commissioner on anything that could affect the integrity of federal elections or referendums. |
| Financial Crime and Money Laundering Working Group |
The Financial Crime and Money Laundering Working Group is a national coordination group under the Serious and Organised Crime Coordination Committee. It supports the development, prioritisation and coordination of operations and strategies to tackle money laundering networks and seize criminal proceeds. It targets serious financial crimes, including fraud, money laundering and corruption. |
| Fraud Fusion Taskforce | The Fraud Fusion Taskforce is a multi-agency collaboration. It strengthens the Government’s approach to fraud by serious and organised crime, aiming to reduce fraud across all government payment programs. |
| Illicit Tobacco Taskforce (ITTF) | The ITTF protects Commonwealth revenue and the tobacco excise system. It does this by targeting, disrupting and dismantling serious and organised crime groups that deal in illicit tobacco. |
| Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (JACET) |
JACET brings together the AFP and state and territory police to combat and investigate child exploitation. Under the JACET model, AFP officers work alongside local police Sex Crime Commands (or equivalent) using information provided by the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation. |
| Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Centre (JPC3) |
The JPC3 is AFP led and brings together Australian policing jurisdictions to impact on high-harm, high-volume cybercrime affecting the Australian community. It enhances intelligence sharing and target development across police and industry, coordinating the response to cybercrime threats. The JPC3 develops capability uplift and raises awareness through media campaigns. |
| Joint Threat Finance Group (JTFG) |
The Joint Threat Financing Group (JTFG) is an AFP-led team of financial specialists from the AFP and AUSTRAC. The JTFG works to combat terrorist and threat financing. Its work includes:
The JTFG works closely with Australian-based banking and financial organisations, as well as other government departments, including ABF, ACIC, ATO and Services Australia. |
| National Illicit Firearm Working Group |
The National Illicit Firearm Working Group is a national coordination group under the Serious and Organised Crime Coordination Committee. ATHENA targets the trafficking and use of illicit firearms across Australia and involves all police jurisdictions and several federal agencies. |
| National Cybercrime Working Group |
The National Cybercrime Working Group is part of the law enforcement strategy under the Serious and Organised Crime Coordination Committee. It brings together federal, state and territory law enforcement agencies, and New Zealand Police, to combat cybercrime. It also oversees the Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Centre (JPC3) and ReportCyber. |
| Operation ORCUS | Operation ORCUS, led by the AFP, collects intelligence and runs defensive cyber operations to respond to the rising ransomware threat, from both overseas and within Australia. |
| Phoenix Taskforce | The Phoenix Taskforce brings together key federal, state and territory agencies. It provides a whole-of-government approach to tackling illegal phoenix activity. |
| Serious Financial Crime Taskforce (SFCT) | The SFCT brings together the knowledge, resources and experience of law enforcement and regulatory agencies. It identifies and tackles the most serious and complex forms of financial crime. |
| Shadow Economy Standing Taskforce | The Shadow Economy Standing Taskforce uses expertise from across government to develop policies, reforms and enforcement measures. Its goal is to discourage people from operating in the shadow economy, which means working outside the tax and regulatory system. |
| Taskforce AVARUS | Taskforce AVARUS is a targeted operation against Australian and international organised criminals. It focuses on those laundering large amounts of money through the Australia’s financial system and property market. |
| Taskforce MORPHEUS |
Taskforce MORPHEUS is a national coordination group under the Serious and Organised Crime Coordination Committee. It connects federal, state and territory law enforcement agencies to provide a coordinated national response to outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs) operating across Australia and internationally. |
This guidance sets out how we interpret certain Australian legislation, along with associated Rules and regulations. Australian courts are ultimately responsible for interpreting these laws and determining if any provisions of these laws are contravened.
The examples and scenarios in this guidance are meant to help explain our interpretation of these laws. They’re not exhaustive or meant to cover every possible scenario.
This guidance provides general information and isn't a substitute for legal advice. This guidance avoids legal language wherever possible and it might include generalisations about the application of the law. Some provisions of the law referred to have exceptions or important qualifications. In most cases your particular circumstances must be taken into account when determining how the law applies to you.