Corporate Plan 2024-25

Commissioner's foreword

As Australia's national policing agency, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) plays an integral role in ensuring the safety and security of Australians and Australia's national interests.

In our commitment to deliver on the AFP's Ministerial Direction issued by the Attorney-General in 2023, my Statement of Intent emphasises a focus on protecting lives, livelihoods and the Commonwealth by remaining agile, innovative and accountable in an evolving and increasingly complex operating environment.

The next 4 years will be significant in the ongoing evolution of the AFP. While we continue to grapple with serious and high-harm offending like human exploitation, child sexual abuse and organised crime, we are meeting increasing demands across a variety of national security challenges including the protection of democracy.

Our people, capabilities and partners are all critical to achieving our goals across the range of our diverse responsibilities.

We will continue to attract passionate and capable people to a career in policing and strive to be the employer of choice across law enforcement. We will continue to advance our capabilities through innovation and the safe, responsible and ethical exploration of new and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).

The AFP must continue to build our relationships with state and territory police; academia; the private sector; and Commonwealth, state and territory governments. In particular, building a bridge to the community we serve, and fostering the enduring trust of those we protect, underpins the ongoing legitimacy of the AFP and supports our effectiveness in addressing criminal threats. Internationally, the AFP's global presence, particularly across our neighbouring Pacific region, is key to preventing harm from reaching Australia, and disrupting and investigating activities that threaten Australia's interests.

The AFP Corporate Plan 2024–25 is critical to meeting these evolving challenges. To reflect our changing work and operating environment, we present an enhanced performance framework that will assist us in assessing our performance over the next 4 years. The activities, measures and targets outlined in this corporate plan highlight our commitment to accountability, achievement and excellence.

Statement of preparation

I, as the accountable authority for the Australian Federal Police, present the AFP Corporate Plan 2024–25. This plan covers the 4-year period from 2024–25 to 2027–28 as required under section 35(1)(b) of the Public Governance Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (Cth). It outlines our purpose, environment, approach and the results we will deliver.

Reece P Kershaw APM

Commissioner

Australian Federal Police

About the AFP

Our purpose

As Australia’s national policing agency, we protect Australians and Australia’s interests. We are committed to protecting Australian lives, livelihoods and the Commonwealth; fostering trust and confidence with our community, partners and government; and maximising our impact on the criminal environment for a safer and more secure Australia.

Our role

Our role is to enforce Commonwealth and Australian Capital Territory criminal law and protect the Commonwealth’s interests from criminal activity in Australia and overseas. We work closely with domestic and international partners to combat complex transnational serious and organised crime, which poses a serious threat to Australia’s national security. Under the Australian Federal Police Act 1979 (Cth) (AFP Act) the AFP investigates state offences with a federal aspect, in partnership with domestic partners. The AFP uses its policing insights to engage effectively with the government, partners and the community to promote awareness and resilience.

Our core functions

• Provide policing services to the ACT, Jervis Bay and Australia's external territories
• Police Commonwealth law, safeguard Commonwealth interests and investigate state offences that have a federal aspect
• Undertake domestic engagement and cooperation to disrupt crime and keep Australians safe
• Assist international policing and non-government bodies to disrupt crime and support regional security, safety and stability
• Protect Commonwealth infrastructure, places and property
• Protect designated high office holders, dignitaries and witnesses
• Provide offshore peace, stability and security operations, capacity building, police partnership programs and capability development
• Confiscate property or wealth from criminals that has been illegally obtained
• Provide any other policing function essential to protecting the lives, livelihoods and Australia's way of life, including protective and custodial services

Our corporate plan on a page

Our operating environment

The AFP continuously monitors and assesses our operating environment to ensure we can deliver on our purpose. The various geopolitical, social, economic and technological changes in our environment can affect the AFP directly and indirectly, and also shape the criminal environment as explored in the AFP Federal Crime Threat Picture. Despite these changes, the AFP strives to evolve with our operating environment to ensure we continue to keep Australians and Australia safe.

Geopolitical change

Geopolitical changes will continue to drive our domestic and international policing and national security environments. Australia continues to play a significant role in supporting the peaceful stability of the region, and there remains strong demand for the AFP to support the advancement of policing and law enforcement outcomes across the Pacific. Conflicts further afield, however, can create reverberating national security challenges and tensions between sections of the Australian community, potentially impacting upon social cohesion.

Global conflict and competition are also complicating supply chains for criminal activity and policing responses. Although this can increase the cost and resourcing impact of policing operations, the cost of inaction through the increased risk of international criminal threats operating in or impacting Australia, remains greater. These conflicts are also expected to impact our international partnerships, as working in some regions may become increasingly difficult, international government priorities may change and perceptions of policing may become polarised.

The AFP is cognisant that climate change has the potential to compound various safety and security risks, through heightened resource scarcity, organised crime, infrastructure challenges, migration and displacement. Increased awareness and preparedness efforts will be needed to ensure policing, and all critical services, can manage any potential long-term effects of climate change.

Despite these anticipated challenges, the AFP’s international presence continues to be of high importance, maximising our impact through use of capabilities and resources. This is particularly important as a majority of crime and criminal influences are offshore. It is critical for us to disrupt these threats before they reach Australian shores and impact our communities. Our offshore partnerships are expected to increase, particularly within the Pacific region, and enhance our ability to prevent, deter and disrupt criminal and national security threats. Pacific and Southeast Asian nations will continue to be some of our most essential partners, given their close geographic proximity to Australia and attractiveness as a target for geopolitical actors and organised crime.

Social changes

One of the biggest social changes affecting the AFP is changing workforce needs. We anticipate ongoing challenges regarding the expanding skills and experiences needed for modern policing, increasing representation, competition in key employment markets, and the need to balance an increasingly multigenerational workplace.

Changing societal views on youth offending are contributing to debates about the age of criminal responsibility across Australia. Further, shifting attitudes towards illicit drugs are manifesting in legislative changes, such as the ACT’s Drugs of Dependence Act 1989, at a time when drug consumption across Australia remains high. We will continue to work with the community while responding to the complexities of modern-day policing by adapting our operating model and investigative processes where required.

Trust and confidence in policing and other institutions continues to be a key factor in shaping relationships with the community, particularly as a result of the challenges to social attitudes towards government and policing, which arose both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Australians remain highly engaged in our political system and it is important to the health of Australian democracy that interactions between politicians and the public remain safe.

Moreover, high levels of public trust and confidence are of strategic importance to the AFP. High levels of trust are associated with increased crime reporting, stronger provision of information and intelligence, and greater community support for the legislative reforms police need to adapt to a changing environment. The AFP’s Community Confidence Survey indicates strong level of confidence in the AFP,¹ and the National Survey of Community Satisfaction with Policing highlights that ACT residents report relatively high perceptions of safety at home and in public places.²

• ¹Australian Federal Police annual reports 2023–24, 2022–23 and 2021–22
• ²Productivity Commission, Report on government services 2024

Economic conditions

Economic conditions, both in Australia and internationally, continue to be affected by ongoing geopolitical and social shocks. Macro-economic factors have a downstream effect on communities, including the cost of living increasing compared to previous years. Although Australia remains a relatively wealthy country by international standards, the increasing cost of household goods, energy, housing and other necessary living expenses has widespread impacts on Australians. As these costs increase, it is likely that opportunistic actors may capitalise on vulnerable Australians through scams and other fraudulent schemes. The AFP recognises that law enforcement is just one aspect of the response to cybercrime, and we will continue to invest in public awareness and education programs to encourage cyber safety.

The AFP maintains a strong focus on working within its operating budget, while managing evolving criminal threats. Through investments in the AFP, the government has boosted our workforce and our ability to achieve additional objectives. However, the AFP faces a range of external operating pressures and increased operating costs and we must continue to seek efficiencies to meet government expectations.

Technological change

Technology is expected to continue to advance at a rapid rate, shaping both the criminal threat environment and our policing capabilities. All crime types and policing functions are impacted by the use of technology, including how emerging technology such as AI, biomedical capabilities, robotics and machine learning will accelerate this impact.

Technology is a key enabler for criminal activity against Australians, including by cyber-criminals. The online grooming and abuse of children, and easily accessible exposure to abhorrent and violent extremist material is continuing to grow. Australia is also facing increasing, persistent and pervasive cybercrime threats targeting critical infrastructure, government, industry and the community. The AFP will continue to prevent, deter and respond to these threats using both traditional and innovative policing methods.

The AFP’s Blue paper to 2030 and beyond details the future of federal policing in leading, embracing and leveraging technology. We recognise the significance of Digital Evolution 4.0, including the influential role of AI as a major driver of transformative changes affecting the Australian community, and in turn policing. The AFP acknowledges that we must hold ourselves to a high standard as the technology landscape changes, and we will ensure accountability, transparency and responsibility when adopting any new technology.

Our capabilities

The AFP’s capabilities are crucial to achieving our purpose. Maintaining and developing them ensures we can respond to the challenges and leverage opportunities presented by our operating environment, now and in the future. We will implement strategies and plans to ensure we are suitably placed to achieve our outcomes through our capabilities.

People

Our people are our greatest asset. The AFP aims to remain an employer of choice, building and fostering a workplace environment that attracts and retains agile members with adaptive skillsets, while reducing attrition.

We are continuing to develop this capability by:

• incorporating diversity and inclusion principles in day-to-day practice through the implementation of the AFP Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2023–26; building a psychologically and culturally safe workplace and leveraging our partnership with the Australian Human Rights Commission to ensure we are diverse and dynamic in thought, perspective and ability
• promoting resilience and the physical, psychological, organisational and social health of our people through a revised AFP Health and Wellbeing Strategy
• enhancing our entry-level recruitment by ensuring key structures, processes, policies and capacities are flexible and remain fit for purpose
• limiting unnecessary outsourcing of core work, in line with the APS Strategic Commissioning Framework.³

³ This is currently only a mandatory requirement for entities under the Public Services Act 1999 (Cth).

Learning and development

The AFP is investing in our learning and development capability to ensure it continues to be fit for purpose for today and tomorrow. This enables us to provide our people with the systems, knowledge and skills they need to perform their duties effectively and lawfully. A commitment to learning and leadership at all levels is fundamental to the success of our members and the enterprise.

We are continuing to develop this capability by:

• uplifting foundational training courses and implementing contemporary delivery methods to modernise learning and enhance the skills of our current and future workforce
• increasing partnerships with other Commonwealth and international agencies to support training delivery to develop and enhance skill sets in investigating serious and complex crime
• adopting and implementing recognised vocational education and training terminology, frameworks and processes to enable consistent delivery of training.

Finance and infrastructure

Effective financial management and provision of essential corporate services, including payroll, procurement, shared services, criminal records and infrastructure, enables the AFP to deliver on our purpose.

We are continuing to develop this capability by:

• investing in long-term property solutions linked to our Strategic Property Plan such as the future development of the AFP Majura site
• delivering leading, fit-for-purpose training facilities that enable us to uplift AFP and partner capabilities, including the development of new police training facilities in Pinkenba, Queensland
• enhancing our financial literacy; improving contract management and procurement processes; and conducting internal reviews of non-operational travel, spending on external contractors and consultants, and the use of overtime and penalties to manage expenditure overspend
• planning, delivering and maintaining sustainable facilities and operating solutions, and actively participating in the Australian Government’s Net Zero initiatives.

Technology

Technology is a critical enabler of the AFP’s operational and corporate services to ensure that we achieve our purpose. We use technology to assist frontline policing and protective services through direct tactical interventions in investigations, and to strategically maintain, sustain and evolve our foundational technology platforms and architecture.

We are continuing to develop this capability by:

• modernising the AFP’s technology foundations and applications, and increasing the cyber-security position of the organisation
• evolving our internal processes to navigate the development and deployment of emerging technologies
• continuing to mature our use of technology across the 6 strategic shifts outlined in our AFP Technology Strategy 2025
• enhancing our collaboration with academic institutions, police forces and the technology sector to understand technological challenges and opportunities to strengthen law enforcement capabilities.

Forensics

Forensics is an essential enabler of frontline policing. The AFP’s forensics capability is built on a foundation of innovation and collaborative problem solving, taking complex evidence, information and situations and providing solutions that keep pace with the criminal and national security environment.

We are continuing to develop this capability by:

• ensuring alignment with the AFP Forensic Strategic Outlook and Forensics Strategy 2026 and Beyond, remaining agile and delivering capability that is relevant, innovative and trustworthy
• attracting the highest quality candidates in an increasingly competitive employment market by offering a tailored career development program and forensic internship initiatives
• continuing to develop the National DNA Program for Unidentified and Missing Persons, in collaboration with law enforcement and forensic partners, to ensure a sustainable model for identifying human remains and challenging samples in criminal cases
• adopting new systems and technologies enabling operational gains through working towards increased automation and business intelligence, and by strengthening and establishing new strategic and academic partnerships to shape leading-edge capabilities.

Strategy, performance, policy and legislation

The AFP’s strategy, performance and policy capabilities continue to play a key role in defining and managing enterprise-wide priorities and decision-making. This includes engagement with government policy departments, oversight bodies and other key domestic and international partners on legislative reform proposals, new policy proposals and other policy matters. This capability helps to ensure policy and legislative frameworks keep pace with changes in our operating environment, the criminal threat landscape and community expectations.

We are continuing to develop this capability by:

• updating our performance framework and introducing new and amended performance measures to ensure we remain accountable in a changing operating landscape
• maturing our planning frameworks to ensure our workforce and business are fit for purpose and risk is considered in planning activities
• funding projects through the AFP’s Innovation Fund, designed to safely, responsibly and ethically test new ideas, practices and technologies (including AI), leveraging the insights and learnings achieved for enterprise-wide benefits and capability enhancements.

Media and communications

The AFP’s media and communications capabilities are vital to delivering the messaging that builds a strong link with our members, promotes trust and confidence within the community, and challenges those who may seek to harm Australians and Australia’s interests.

We are continuing to develop this capability by:

• delivering targeted media strategies and a new communications strategy that strengthen our reputation by actively promoting our people, operational success, and innovative solutions
• evolving our recruitment marketing to ensure we remain an identifiable, accessible employer of choice

Intelligence

The AFP’s intelligence and close operations capability develops strategic, operational and tactical intelligence to enhance and inform strategic decision-making and support operational outcomes. This capability provides insights to enable situational awareness and identifies intelligence gaps, opportunities and convergences in support of our investigations.

We are continuing to develop this capability by:

• working innovatively with specialist teams to continue technological advancements to identify collection and analysis opportunities
• developing enduring partnerships with domestic and international law enforcement and the intelligence community to share intelligence, enhance situational awareness and work collaboratively
• engaging in a variety of internal and external research and development opportunities to ensure our practitioners continue to advance their knowledge and application of tradecraft to meet an evolving operating environment.

Legal services

The AFP has in-house legal services providing independent legal advice and litigation services to identify and manage legal risk. This includes legal advice and support to ensure we meet our freedom of information and privacy obligations. Specialist litigators undertake proceeds of crime litigation focused on delivering maximum impact to the criminal environment by depriving persons of the proceeds, instruments and benefits derived from criminal conduct.

We are continuing to develop this capability by:

• enhancing our legal and litigation services and continuing to implement corporate reform priorities
• maintaining a strong continuing legal education program for our lawyers, and participating in the Australian Government Legal Services professional network to upskill and uplift our legal capability
• developing innovative solutions to streamline compliance processes and mitigate risk, including for the introduction of new technologies.

Security

The AFP’s security capability works collaboratively to promote a strong security culture and implement protective security measures to safeguard our members, operations, systems and assets. This is achieved by ensuring the AFP maintains strong maturity against the Australian Government’s Protective Security Policy Framework requirements, treating security vulnerabilities as well as guiding and supporting responses to security incidents and delivering effective security services and advice.

We are continuing to develop this capability by:

• uplifting our security culture through enhanced communication about security and integrity across the agency, with a focus on high-impact, timely and usable advice
• enhancing our personnel and physical security capabilities and governance
• ensuring the ICT systems used by the AFP to safeguard its information security remain robust and fit for purpose.

Professional standards

The AFP has a robust integrity framework incorporating prevention, detection, response, investigation and continuous improvement that helps to improve voluntary compliance, early intervention and general awareness of professional standards across our workforce. The AFP’s Workplace Issues and Complaints Resolution (WICR) team provide end-to-end case management of workplace issues, complaints and grievances of minor management issues and/or minor misconduct, ensuring a supportive complaints resolutions process for our people.

We are continuing to develop this capability by:

• engaging continuously with the Commonwealth Ombudsman and the National Anti-Corruption Commission at the working and senior executive levels
• progressing recommendations from key stakeholders on process and policy improvements
• reviewing our complaints processes to ensure we remain trauma informed and victim-centric.

Our partnerships

Collaboration and partnerships across public and private, national and international levels are essential to delivering on our purpose. As the AFP’s operating environment evolves and our work diversifies, we will continue to leverage these partnerships to keep Australians and Australia safe.

Across our span of partners we collaborate with:

• Commonwealth partners, including the Attorney-General’s Department, the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre as well as the Australian and New Zealand Counter Terrorism Committee and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies to deliver against government priorities, including through linked programs, as detailed in our 2024–25 Portfolio Budget Statement
• oversight bodies such as the Commonwealth Ombudsman, the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, to guarantee compliance with legislative requirements across our systems, processes and personnel
• state and territory law enforcement partners for joint operational matters, information sharing, capability uplift and research, ensuring a strategic and coordinated approach to relevant policy and operations across Australia
• international partners, particularly our regional Pacific partners, for mutual operational assistance, police-led diplomacy, capability development and delivery of the Pacific Police Partnership Program
• non-government partners and academia, to understand best practice and relevant research findings, provide subject matter expert advice and collaborate on capability uplift
• community partners to engage in crime prevention, community awareness and victim support services. This includes conducting information sessions; implementing the online child safety education program ‘ThinkUKnow’; attending major events, university open days and community forums; and establishing community liaison teams specifically tailored for vulnerable groups.

Our international locations

• Ankara
• Bali
• Bangkok
• Beijing
• Beirut
• Bogota
• Colombo
• Dubai
• Fiji
• Guangzhou
• Hanoi
• Ho Chi Minh
• Hong Kong
• Islamabad
• Jakarta
• Kuala Lumpur
• Los Angeles
• Manila
• Mexico City
• Nauru
• New Delhi
• New York
• Papua New Guinea
• Phnom Penh
• Pretoria
• Samoa
• Singapore
• Solomon Islands
• Timor Leste
• Tonga
• Vanuatu
• Vientiane
• Washington DC
• Yangon

Our risk management and oversight

The AFP operates in a diverse and dynamic environment with layers of uncertainty that impact our operational planning and decision-making processes. Making risk-informed sound decisions under conditions of uncertainty is a core professional and leadership skill that optimises the balance of and interaction with different types of risks. The AFP is committed to ensuring effective risk management remains central to all our activities and is a core leadership competency. The aim is to ensure risk management is embedded in decision-making, contributing to the achievement of AFP objectives at every level.

The AFP has implemented a streamlined reporting approach to inform our executive on risk-related information to allow for better risk-based decision-making practices within the organisation. All members are responsible for identifying and managing risks and may have responsibilities to ensure the implementation of risk management processes in line with the AFP Risk Management Framework.

The Risk Management Framework enables the agency to manage risks for operational and project outcomes at the enterprise level. Building on the practical understanding of risk in the framework, our Risk Culture Strategy enhances understanding and normalises risk management practices. A positive risk culture strengthens risk identification, engagement and management, and supports informed decision making, business planning and performance.

AFP enterprise-level risks

The AFP continuously seeks to identify, analyse, mitigate, reduce and monitor risks. These processes form an integral part of the AFP’s risk management strategy. A key purpose of risk management at the enterprise level is to support effective risk decision-making in uncertain situations and provide an improved ability to anticipate change and to monitor emerging risks and potential disruption to AFP operations. The following figure provides an overview of our 8 enterprise-level risks and their associated opportunities. Our executive boards, Audit and Risk Committee, governance, and business area management contribute to a holistic risk oversight and assurance process.

Our enterprise-level risks and opportunities

Our performance framework

The AFP's 3 outcomes for 2024–25 state the key government and social goals the AFP is responsible for delivering. We assess our performance against these outcomes using 15 performance measures. These measures aim to demonstrate the effectiveness of the AFP's operational impact and value to the community.

The AFP is committed to the ongoing uplift of our performance framework to ensure it remains reflective of our evolving operating environment and the expectations of government and the community. A recent review of our performance framework resulted in minor updates to our outcome and program language, a set of new activities and several new measures that better represent the AFP's purpose, now and into the future. The AFP will publish results against each measure in the Annual Performance Statement in the AFP Annual Report 2024–25.

The operational definitions listed in the following tables are:

• prevention: any lawful action that limits or removes the cause of offending and/or victimisation
• disruption: any lawful action that interferes with, delays or complicates a criminal activity, resulting in the degradation of criminal enterprise, reducing criminal capability, influence, and capacity to create harm and victimisation. In some cases, this may be the same type of action that would achieve prevention in other situations
• response: any timely and lawful action taken to address an incident or matter, which requires immediate attention either to limit the harm from a criminal act, an offence continuing, an unsafe situation or an emergency; or to support policing efforts to secure evidence or locate/detain an offender
• enforcement: using legislation and police powers to undertake police services and provide police support services to domestic and foreign partners to minimise harm, support prosecution of criminal acts, fulfil legislated duties, assist with intelligence exchange and support a good global order.

Outcome 1 National and International Policing

Reduce criminal and national security threats to Australia's collective economic and societal interests through cooperative policing services.

Program 1.1 Federal Policing

Provide national and international policing services through prevention, disruption, enforcement and response strategies in collaboration with domestic and international partners.

⁴ Productivity Commission, Report on Government Services

Outcome 2 ACT Policing

A safe and secure environment through policing activities on behalf of the Australian Capital Territory Government.

Program 2.1 ACT Community Policing

Provide community policing services in the Australian Capital Territory in partnership with government and community agencies.

Outcome 3 Specialist Protective Services and International Policing Partnerships

Safeguarding Australians and Australian interests through the delivery of policing services primarily focused on protective services, aviation policing and international police partnerships.

Program 3.1 Specialist Protective Services

Provide protective services for official persons and at designated airports, Commonwealth protected locations, institutions and events.

Program 3.2 International Police Assistance and External Territories

Provide policing or policing support services to Jervis Bay, Australia's external territories and international partners.