Senator BOLKUS —My question is directed to Senator Vanstone, the Minister for Justice. Minister, can you confirm that the Australian Federal Police is currently losing agents at the rate of some 13 per month and that it has lost some 185 agents in the past 12 months? Can you also confirm that not all of the promised resources for mobile strike teams have yet come on stream and that, as a consequence, the AFP has been forced to pay for operations by selling major assets? Minister, will you make representations, as you should, to your cabinet colleagues in order to quickly redress the funding crisis afflicting the Australian Federal Police?

Senator VANSTONE (Justice and Customs) —Senator Bolkus is, sadly, a slow learner, but we will go through this again. Sooner or later he will cotton on, or perhaps finally Mr Beazley will cotton on and give him the flick. The situation is this: the AFP did start losing personnel under the Labor government, and that continued for a period under this government. Labor increased the savings that were to be had from the AFP. This government has put more money in the first three years of its term into the AFP than in the last three years under Labor. That is perhaps the simplest explanation. We have specially targeted some of that money, and it is well known that a large amount of that money is targeted to the Tough on Drugs strategy.

I attended, earlier this year, what I think was the largest intake of recruits as federal agents in the past 10 years. So, Senator Bolkus, the bottom line is this: you left the AFP in a shocking mess. Our Prime Minister committed to making it a police force second to none in the world. We are putting the money and resources into doing that. We promised an additional four mobile strike teams during the election, and not all of that money has come on stream yet. I just make the point that, under Labor, there was the capacity for only one major drug investigation by the AFP—not one investigation; one major one. We have now committed funds for 10 mobile strike teams to target drugs around Australia, and we have seen in the last couple of months the rewards that that brings. Sena tor Bolkus, you could do better for the third question.

Senator BOLKUS —Madam President, I ask a supplementary question. Minister, isn't it a fact that over these four years you have provided funding to the AFP at some $159 million dollars less than the 1996-97 level? Isn't it also a fact that people are leaving the AFP in record numbers? Given the persistent nature of the criticism of the funding of the AFP, will you immediately authorise the public release of the Ayers report so that public confidence can be restored in the AFP? If not, why not?

Senator VANSTONE (Justice and Customs) —The only persistent questioning on funding for the AFP comes from Senator Bolkus. He appears to have nothing else to do. No, I am not going to do something because Senator Bolkus is bored.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Senator VANSTONE —Of course I am not. We appointed an appropriate, independent inquiry into the AFP because the Prime Minister wanted to ensure that it was properly funded to face the challenges of the year 2000. We have committed to implementing the Ayers report, and we will do that. They may miss being in government. They may want to have all the documents government has; the sad fact is that they got a chance at it at the last election, and they lost. I am sorry—the answer is no.