Senator FAULKNER (Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) (1:32 PM) —The opposition supports the Telecommunications Interception and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2003. The bill ensures that the new Western Australian Corruption and Crime Commission has appropriate investigative powers conferred by Commonwealth laws. The bill amends the Telecommunications (Interception) Act 1979 to make the new Western Australian commission and parliamentary inspector eligible authorities for the purposes of that act. This will enable them to receive telecommunications interceptions relevant to their investigations. The bill also amends the Financial Transaction Reports Act 1988 to make the new Western Australian commission a law enforcement agency for the purposes of that act, which will give it access to Commonwealth financial transaction reports information.

The second purpose of this bill is to enable interception warrants to be sought in the course of investigating slavery, sexual servitude, deceptive recruiting and aggravated people-smuggling offences. In 1999 the parliament passed the Criminal Code Amendment (Slavery and Sexual Servitude) Act to introduce, into Commonwealth criminal law, the offences of slavery, sexual servitude and deceptive recruiting. Last year the parliament created a new offence of aggravated people smuggling—which includes exploitation where the victim is forced to enter into slavery or sexual servitude. This followed growing concern about the trafficking of women and children into Australia to work, against their will, in the sex industry. Until this year there had not been a single prosecution under those offences but I hope, as a result of the passage of this legislation, we will see brought to justice those responsible for inflicting untold harm and misery on these women and children. As far as the opposition is concerned we are satisfied that these laws are strong and balanced and accordingly we support the legislation.