CRIME AUTHORITY MAY LOSE 50 STAFF

The National Crime Authority could be forced to sack up to 50 people
when funding for the Prime Minister's national drugs strategy ends in
2003.

The NCA's funds for implementing the national drugs strategy - about
$8.8 million a year - is slated to end after the 2002-03 financial
year.

The operations manager of the NCA, Mr Peter Lamb, told a Senate
estimates committee this week the cut would leave the NCA in the state
it was before the introduction of the special funding.

Mr Lamb said up to 50 positions could be lost if the funding was not
renewed, although he said the Government had extended a separate
funding program to fight money laundering.

The Justice Minister, Senator Vanstone, said the $8 million was a
specific program targeting importation of illicit drugs.

She said the Government only prepared budgets a few years in advance
and had not gone beyond the 2002-03 year.

Senator Vanstone warned this week of the perils posed by cybercrime
and money-laundering in the Internet age.

"The Internet enables illicit funds to be transferred around the world
at the touch of a button, virtually without trace and without the
criminal having to put in a personal appearance," she said.

"It makes life easy for drug traffickers, under-the-counter arms
dealers and other criminals."

Senator Vanstone said the way to solve such crimes was to track their
proceeds.

The Opposition justice spokesman, Mr Duncan Kerr, said the Government
was not doing enough to fight cybercrime. He said only $2 million had
been specifically allocated to fight it in the recent Budget, which
was a tiny amount compared to what the United States and Britain had
spent.

The service delivery manager for the NCA, Mr John Hartley, also told
the Senate the authority's budget for "understanding the criminal
environment" - part of its overall funds for responding to organised
crime - had been cut by $1.2 million.

But Mr Hartley said the reduction would not necessarily affect
services.