Corporate Plan 2025-26

Commissioner’s foreword

When I became AFP Commissioner in October 2025, I clearly defined the AFP's identity and purpose. The AFP is a national security agency.

The complex threats and challenges facing Australia and our region require a new AFP for an uncertain and unpredictable world.

There is no longer a straight line from criminal-to-criminal act, and the mixed motivations of criminals are more challenging to identify and investigate.

States are using criminal proxies to destabilise adversaries, and criminals, agile and often well-resourced, are always looking for new ways to profit.

The AFP will always educate and deter – this is how we help protect the community, especially through ACT Policing – but put simply, most of our work now and into the future will be to deter, disrupt and respond to active threats or attacks – whether that is overt or done in the shadows.

And as we adopt a new mission statement to defend and protect Australia and Australia's future from domestic and global security threats, the AFP will be an agency that provides strategic, not just operational advice to relevant stakeholders.

We can no longer think just like police – we are a key plank within Executive Government – and the access, insights and expertise we have is like no other agency within the Commonwealth.

This means we need peripheral vision to better understand the world we live in, we need to take a more fulsome interest in the geopolitics pushing and pulling us in unchartered territory and to invest in our people and capability with a renewed sense of focus.

A key plank in our new posture is supercharging our global operations, one of 5 priorities that underpin our strategic direction, identity and purpose.

The world's disrupters and their impact on our country and our region, requires an AFP more willing to use our strategic effect, our soft power, our influence and our powers to disrupt or frustrate earlier.

Practically, supercharging our global operations includes our engagement and forward-looking partnerships with law enforcement agencies, domestically and internationally, particularly across the Pacific and through our AUKUS uplift.

All of this is critical in leading capacity and capability uplift efforts to support regional stability, building collective resilience, and preventing Australians from harm.

And as spheres of power of influence change and shift, the AFP will show how we are a reliable and trusted international leader in law enforcement, whose principles are focused on maintaining the rule of law and sharing information and capabilities that help keep all countries safe.

We will be a champion for our region, for the symbiotic benefit of safety and ensuring we listen and act on behalf of our trusted partners.

That's why the AFP will host the United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit in 2026. This forum will provide a key opportunity to deepen regional and international cooperation to combat emerging criminal threats in the Pacific.

Republishing our Corporate Plan 2025–26 comes as our 5 new enterprise priorities will unambiguously shape the decisions we make.

Our 5 priorities, supported by the recently published Ministerial Direction and Statement of Intent, include:

• futureproofing our workforce
• supercharging global operations
• defending Australia's domestic security and our region
• protecting vulnerable communities
• investing in science and technology-led capability.

It is clear, the AFP has a macro vision of how it will keep Australia safe, however, we also have a laser-like focus in protecting our nation's federal parliamentarians, critical infrastructure and government institutions.

As the nation's capital continues to be a beacon for protestor grievance, ACT Policing members are at the coalface of protecting several key landmarks that go to the very heart of Australia's psyche.

Community policing is also our barometer of trust and confidence. Without a social licence from the very people who we protect and serve, our strategies and plans are ineffective.

The capabilities of our people, particularly our science and technology expertise, are some of the strongest weapons we have in defending Australia and keeping our communities safe. This is why we continue to invest in the health and wellbeing of our people, such as through the AFP Health and Wellbeing Strategy – Beyond 2024 (PDF, 10MB). This complements our focus on attracting the most skilled, innovative and collaborative people, and building a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. Critical to our ongoing success is the prioritisation of investment in technology and capability, including artificial intelligence and big data management tools which will be overlayed with responsible and ethical use governance.

As AFP Commissioner, I can assure Australians, the Commonwealth Government and our key partners that the AFP can be trusted and relied upon to defend and protect Australia's sovereignty, security and future prosperity.

Statement of preparation

I, as the accountable authority for the Australian Federal Police, present the AFP Corporate Plan 2025–26. This plan covers the 4-year period from 2025–26 to 2028–29 as required under section 35(1)(b) of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (Cth). It outlines our purpose, environment and approach and the results we will deliver.

Krissy Barrett APM
Commissioner

About the AFP

Our purpose and mission

Defend and protect Australia and Australia's future from domestic and global security threats.

Our core functions and priorities

The AFP's core functions, as identified in the AFP Act, are shown in Figure 1, and our 5 new enterprise priorities are outlined in Figure 2. Together our functions and priorities highlight the distinct role the AFP plays in Australia's national security and law enforcement environment. In performing this role, the AFP is constituted by a broad mix of people and capabilities working in a diverse range of roles. The AFP also leverages a vast global footprint and deep domestic and international partnerships to deliver our functions, advance our priorities, and ultimately achieve our mission.

Figure 1 AFP's core functions

• Police Commonwealth law, safeguard Commonwealth interests and investigate state offences that
• 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
• Provide policing services to the ACT, Jervis Bay and Australia's external
• 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 illegally obtained property or wealth from criminals
• Provide any other policing functions essential to protecting the lives, livelihoods and Australia's way of life, including protective and custodial services

Our priorities

The AFP's enterprise priorities are shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 AFP's enterprise priorities

Defending Australia's domestic security and our region

We provide policing and protective services to defend and protect the Australian community and our region. We prioritise threats and crimes which will impact our community and Australia's sovereignty, democracy, resilience and prosperity.

Protecting vulnerable communities

We prevent and disrupt threats and crime actors which seek to harm or radicalise vulnerable communities. We prioritise safety and social cohesion, and are agile in responding to those seeking to damage our social fabric and create hatred, division and harm.

Supercharging global operations

Supercharging means amplifying the AFP's impact globally. We leverage global connections and advanced policing capabilities to protect Australia's interests, working with partners to solve problems and prevent harm before it reaches Australia.

Futureproofing our workforce

Our workforce is thriving, unified, diverse and trusted — empowered by adaptive and accountable leadership, guided by integrity, and equipped to adapt to emerging challenges.

Investing in science and technology-led capability

Science and technology-led capabilities are at the forefront of how we operationalise our business. We use science and technology responsibly to stay ahead of threats, delivering more effective policing while earning public trust.

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 and conditions can affect the AFP directly and indirectly. These changes also shape the criminal environment as explored in the AFP Federal Crime Threat Picture.

Geopolitical change

International conflict and the increasing globalisation and convergence of crime are becoming more pronounced features of the AFP's operating environment. Transnational organised crime is continuing to capitalise on instability within and between nations, which is increasing risks related to social cohesion, human trafficking, child exploitation, drug trafficking, cybercrime and terrorism. The AFP faces heightened challenges as new crime threats emerge, diplomatic relationships evolve and law enforcement cooperation in conflict-affected regions becomes more difficult.

The rapidly evolving global political landscape, particularly in Europe and the Middle East, is already impacting the community in Australia in the form of protest activity, political activism and community violence, with conflict overseas fuelling a rise in inflammatory language and increased incidence for violent responses. The impact of conflicts across regions creates uncertainty, and the likely displacement of people may lead to further geopolitical tensions with potential impact on Australia's national security. These tensions and divisions within the community affect social cohesion and the domestic security environment. This includes the targeting of religious and ethnic groups across the country. The AFP will continue to work with partners such as state and territory law enforcement agencies to provide reassurance to the community and maintain social cohesion, resilience and trust, now and into the future.

The desirability of the Pacific and South-East Asia as a target for transnational organised crime and malicious actors remains a significant threat over the coming 4 years. As a result, the AFP's new and existing partnerships with key international and regional law enforcement agencies in those regions are pivotal to reducing those threats. The AFP will continue to enhance our capabilities to monitor and disrupt emerging threats before they impact our region, including Australia. The AFP's security posture also must continue to strengthen in line with the increasing threats that come from the challenging geopolitical environment, both in our region and more broadly.

Social change

Community confidence and trust are essential for effective policing, and this challenge exists in the context of ongoing societal changes. While the AFP Community Confidence Survey continues to show strong levels of trust and confidence in the AFP, these changes are broad, fast-paced and often influenced by similar trends occurring at the global level. Social changes can be driven by changing values or norms, demographic shifts, emerging technologies, escalating fears or anxieties, and changing sensitivities to socio-economic conditions, inequalities or rights.

The drivers can in turn manifest in changing demands and expectations on governments and government agencies, like the AFP. In particular, diverse social changes in areas such as social divisions, neurodiversity mental health and wellbeing, institutional trust, illicit drugs, employer expectations, and many other trends, are all shaping the AFP's approach to addressing particular challenges relating to crime and to engagement with the community. We are witnessing a growing normalisation of violence, including politically motivated acts, with an increased political polarisation across the Australian community.

Young Australians are increasingly being targeted online by offenders attempting to radicalise or exploit them. Cruel conditioning on social media and gaming platforms is also influencing more young Australians to engage in extremist behaviour. The AFP will continue to respond to those seeking to do harm to our young Australians, who hold the key to our future prosperity.

The AFP adopts proactive community engagement strategies which foster trust and deeper cooperation between law enforcement and communities, particularly with local leaders, supporting open lines of communication and an active role in crime prevention. The AFP's Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation continue to lead the fight against child exploitation and work jointly with state and territory teams to combat child sexual abuse and coordinate support programs to prevent offending.

Social changes are also driving changes in the AFP itself. As the needs of the Australian community change, recruitment challenges are anticipated with growing competition for members with diverse skill sets, backgrounds and knowledge. By embracing innovation, developing community partnerships, prioritising the attraction of a skills-based workforce, and fostering supportive work environments, the AFP continues to position itself as the law enforcement employer of choice in a competitive employment market.

Economic conditions

Economic conditions, both in Australia and internationally, continue to be impacted by successive geopolitical and social shocks. The growing disparity in wages, education, jobs and housing is creating generational divisions and social instability. New digital currencies have also created opportunities for criminal activity to be hidden and globalised, and for law enforcement to work with existing and new partners to uncover, seize and disrupt. This environment presents opportunities for adversaries to capitalise on vulnerable Australians and hide criminal assets.

These factors have a downstream effect on communities, including the cost of living. As the costs of everyday necessities increase, it is likely that opportunistic actors may capitalise on vulnerable Australians through scams and other fraudulent schemes.

Working with financial intelligence capabilities and partners, the AFP will continue to target threats to national security, including terrorism financing, entities financing foreign interference, and espionage.

The AFP is not immune from macro-economic factors. Inflationary pressures and the cost of doing business can ultimately serve to increase the cost of protecting Australians and Australia's interests from serious criminal threats. Although this has placed increasing pressure on the AFP, our commitment to meeting operational budget remains firm. The AFP continues to make strategic operational and investment decisions to achieve organisational efficiencies and places high importance on financial management practices and prioritisation of AFP activities to sustainably remain within our budgetary envelope.

Technological change

Technological advancements are accelerating, creating both opportunities and risks that are transforming industries, law enforcement, national security and society itself. Criminals are quick to leverage the opportunities posed by emerging technologies, prompting new and changing threats to our community, infrastructure, businesses and government, including agencies that safeguard the personal information of Australians. Hacking, ransomware attacks, phishing schemes and financial crimes are expected to become more frequent. The AFP will continue to respond to these threats using both innovative and traditional policing methods, including public awareness and education programs to encourage cyber safety.

Violent extremist material and rhetoric online continues to be a significant threat, with young people more susceptible to developing a fixation on violence and hate. Extremist groups are deliberately targeting young and vulnerable individuals for recruitment and radicalisation, particularly online. The AFP must rapidly adapt and adopt new technologies to tackle this challenge.

Within the AFP, technological advances will also provide opportunities for improved operational effectiveness and efficiencies, as well as enhanced services to victims of crime. The integration of various artificial intelligence technologies offers the AFP the opportunity to process lawfully collected data in ways that are currently beyond human scale to ensure community safety and bolster cybersecurity efforts.

In this technology-driven environment, the AFP is focused on ensuring that the adoption of new technologies aligns with legislative frameworks through a cautious and responsible approach, ensuring the proper and ethical adoption of new technologies.

Figure 3 summarises the key trends shaping the AFP operating environment, in the near term and beyond.

Figure 3 Key trends shaping the AFP's operating environment

Our locations

Figure 4 Domestic locations

• National Headquarters (ACT)
• Office locations:
  • Adelaide Office
  • Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation
  • Australian Institute of Police Management
  • Brisbane Office
  • Cairns Office
  • Darwin Office
  • Gold Coast Office
  • Hobart Office
  • Melbourne Office
  • Perth Office
  • Pinkenba Training Centre
  • Sydney Office
  • Thursday Island Office
• Protection sites
  • Adelaide Airport
  • Australian Parliament House
  • Brisbane Airport
  • Cairns Airport
  • Canberra Airport
  • Darwin Airport
  • Exmouth Defence Facility
  • Geraldton Defence Facility
  • Gold Coast (Coolangatta) Airport
  • The High Court of Australia
  • Kirribilli House
  • The Lodge and other secure establishments
  • Melbourne Airport
  • Perth Airport
  • Pine Gap Defence Facility
  • Sydney Airport
  • Western Sydney Airport
• External Territories
  • Christmas Island
  • Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  • Jervis Bay
  • Norfolk Island

Figure 5 International locations

• AFP Headquarters
• International Posts
  • Abu Dhabi
  • Amman
  • Ankara
  • Bali
  • Bangkok
  • Beijing
  • Beirut
  • Belgrade
  • Bogota
  • Colombo
  • Dubai
  • Guangzhou
  • The Hague
  • Hanoi
  • Ho Chi Minh City
  • Hong Kong
  • Islamabad
  • Jakarta
  • Kuala Lumpur
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Manila
  • Mexico City
  • New Delhi
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Paris
  • Phnom Penh
  • Pretoria
  • Singapore
  • Suva
  • Vanuatu
  • Vientiane
  • Washington DC
  • Wellington
  • Yangon
• Pacific Bilateral Policing Partnerships / UN
  • Nauru
  • New York - United Nations (UN)
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Samoa
  • Solomon Islands
  • Timor-Leste
  • Tonga
  • Vanuatu
• Secondments
  • Alabama
  • Lyon
  • Pittsburgh
  • Samoa
  • Wellington

Our capabilities

The AFP's capabilities are crucial to achieving our purpose, now and into the future. Strengthening our ability to respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by our operating environment is only possible through the evolution and ongoing development of our capabilities.

AFP Capability Framework

Since the 2024–25 Corporate Plan, the AFP has completed a comprehensive and systematic review of our capability framework and capability set. As shown in Figure 6, the consolidated set comprises 18 core capabilities and associated sub-capabilities, spanning the frontline, operational and enabling aspects of our agency.

Effective governance of these strategic capabilities is critical to effective investment prioritisation and sustainability, reduced duplication, better coordination and access, and general planning and management. Importantly, ongoing monitoring of threats and opportunities and collaboration with subject matter experts is critical to ensuring the AFP strategically maintains the right capabilities in the right places at the right times.

A key body of work for the year ahead is developing updated roadmaps for these capabilities, which is occurring alongside several specific capability projects, including:

• enhancing our data capabilities to optimise operational responsiveness and protect against reputational risk
• strengthening our responsible AI practices by releasing a transparency statement in accordance with the policy for the responsible use of AI in government and enhancing our technology governance to assess the use of emerging and evolving technologies, ensuring associated risks are thoroughly evaluated
• supporting the health and resilience of our workforce through the implementation of the AFP Health and Wellbeing Strategy – Beyond 2024 (PDF, 10MB)
• shifting from a response-based complaints management model to embedding a prevention culture that fosters psychological and cultural safety
• reviewing our training and leadership curriculums to ensure consistency with contemporary training modalities, technological advancements and best practice to support learning and development initiatives
• enhancing ethical and lawful covert online engagement strategies and capabilities to ensure they can be conducted in the volatile online environment, protecting the community from harm
• streamlining recruitment gateways to drive a holistic approach to our recruitment processes
• transitioning legacy ICT to modern systems and platforms developed in accordance with the 2023–2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy, incorporating modern defensible architecture, and enhancing our continuous threat exposure management systems and processes
• continuing to incorporate diversity and inclusion principles in day-to-day practice by implementing the AFP Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2023–26.

Figure 6 AFP capability set

Frontline

Capabilities that directly operate at the front line to intervene, disrupt or produce a policing effect in the criminal environment:

• Community Policing
• Crime Prevention
• Specialist Response
• International
• Investigation
• Protection

Operational

Capabilities that are critical to delivering direct or indirect operational support to frontline activity:

• Intelligence
• Forensics
• HUMINT
• Data exploitation
• Tasking and coordination
• Digital exploitation
• Surveillance

Enabling

Capabilities that administer the operation of the AFP enterprise and are foundational to the delivery of any capability:

• Security
• Training & exercising
• Leadership
• Organisational improvement
• Organisational management

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 Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre, the Attorney-General's Department, the Department of Defence and the Australian Border Force, as well as other law enforcement and intelligence related agencies and departments, to deliver against government priorities, including through linked programs, as detailed in our 2025–26 Portfolio Budget Statement
• oversight bodies such as the Commonwealth Ombudsman, the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, as part of our commitment to having the highest level of integrity, 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
• ACT government partners such as the Justice and Community Safety Directorate, the ACT Emergency Services Agency, ACT Corrective Services, ACT Health and the Community Services Directorate, through delivery of policing services to the ACT
• international partners to cooperate and collaborate on shared policing priorities and support of global stability across our offshore networks, multilateral law enforcement bodies and community connections to disrupt crime, and to support 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 including non-government organisations, community groups, and academia to engage in crime prevention, community awareness and victim support services. This includes sharing challenges and co-designing solutions, inform and empower prevention and resilience efforts, 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 risk management and oversight

The AFP navigates layers of uncertainty that influence our operational planning and decision-making processes. Effective risk management enhances the AFP's ability to anticipate change, mitigate risks and minimise disruption to operations, and therefore enables informed decision-making in uncertain circumstances and underpins the success of the agency.

Through continuous improvement initiatives, the AFP aims to enhance consistency and alignment with Commonwealth and AFP risk management practices and policies.

All AFP members are responsible for identifying and managing risks and ensuring the implementation of risk management processes in line with the AFP Risk Management Framework. The AFP recognises the importance of a strong risk culture to ensure the agency adapts and evolves with the changing environment. The AFP Risk Maturity and Culture Sustainment Plan is supported by a range of initiatives including:

• assessing and prioritising emerging risks for strategic resource allocation
• promoting effective risk management practices and improving the skills of our members through the Risk Champion Network
• conducting annual reviews, adjusting mitigation strategies and strengthening controls based on changes in the risk environment.

The AFP has reviewed and uplifted the enterprise risk descriptions and opportunities to align better with the current risk environment. The AFP tolerance statements have been strengthened, making risk-based decisions and accountability an easier process for members.

AFP enterprise-level risks

Figure 7 provides an overview of the 8 AFP 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.

Figure 7 Enterprise-level risks

Our performance framework

The AFP's 3 outcomes defined in the 2025–26 AFP Portfolio Budget Statement describe the key goals the AFP is responsible for delivering. There are 15 performance measures to assess the AFP's performance against these outcomes. The aim of these measures is to demonstrate the AFP's operational impact and value to the community.

Operational outcomes

The AFP has defined operational outcomes under 4 categories. These inform our performance measures, which are listed on the following pages.

Changes to the AFP performance measures

The AFP is committed to the ongoing uplift of its performance framework to ensure it remains reflective of the evolving operating environment and the expectations of government and the community. Commencing in the 2025–26 reporting cycle, the AFP's quantitative performance measures and targets will include ‘partially met' thresholds (defined below) to support a deeper understanding in assessing the AFP's performance against these measures. Several changes to the performance measures have been introduced with the republication of the AFP Corporate Plan 2025–26. The ‘Return on Investment – Transnational' and ‘Return on Investment – International' performance measures have been removed given their limited value in communicating the future performance of the AFP. A new performance measure has been introduced that addresses the AFP's work in supporting the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse, highlighting the importance of this work in protecting vulnerable Australians. The performance measure pertaining to the AFP's work with partners in the Pacific region has also been refined to better reflect the breadth of AFP's effort.

The AFP will publish results against each measure in the Annual Performance Statement in the AFP Annual Report 2025–26. These changes represent part of a larger body of work to improve the AFP's approach to performance measurement and reporting in future. A variety of further improvements are being considered for inclusion in the 2026–27 performance cycle and beyond.

Outcome 1 National and International Policing

Reduce criminal and national security threats to Australia's collective economic and societal interests through cooperative policing services, primarily focused on the prevention, detection, disruption, investigation and prosecution of criminal activity.

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.

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.

Program 3.3 AFP-Nuclear Powered Submarine Program

Build and integrate the interim AFP protective security overlay in support of the Australian nuclear submarine program under the AUKUS initiative.