Coastwatch
improvement program strengthens detect and deter capacity
Concern about people smuggling had increased in March 1999 with the undetected landing of a boat containing illegal entrants near Cairns in north Queensland. Customs appointed retired Air Vice-Marshall Alan Heggen to conduct an inquiry into the landing.
After the April landing, which confirmed that the East Coast was a new target destination for illegal entrants, the Prime Minister, John Howard, set up a Task Force to investigate the landings and other coastal surveillance matters.
Chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Max Moore-Wilton, it included representatives of the Attorney-General's Department, Customs, the Australian Federal Police, the Department of Defence and defence forces, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and the Office of National Assessments.
The Task Force took account of the findings of the Heggen report covering both landings. The report concluded that neither Coastwatch nor its client agencies held any prior intelligence about the vessels. It said the relatively low intensity of Coastwatch strategic surveillance flying on the East Coast and the inherently low probability of detection of a single random target contributed to these breaches.
The result was a set of 18 recommendations from the Task Force, all adopted by the Government. They covered three broad areas:
The Task Force recognised that for a coastline as large and as isolated as Australia's, no surveillance system could be foolproof. Trying to develop one would be unrealistic. But better intelligence, more effective coordination and communication, increased resources for aerial surveillance, and closer cooperation with source and transit countries could strengthen the effectiveness of Australia's capacity to detect and deter illegal arrivals.
It
found that illegal immigration was an increasing threat to Australia and
a worldwide problem with more than four million people attempting illegal
entry into various countries each year.
The report said the trade was worth more than $10 billion a year to well
organised people-smuggling syndicates.
Against this background, the Task Force formulated a $124-million, four-year program to strengthen Australia's capacity to detect and deter illegal arrivals.
For Customs, the Government's decisions will mean:
A seized illegal entrant vessel is brought ashore, northern Australia.
These
illegal entrants were detained after their vessel ran aground in a crocodile
infested area at Doughbouy River, Cape York.
5
Bombardier De Havilland Dash 8s, each capable of electronic search over 80,000 square nautical
miles each sortie;
3
Reims F406s, each capable of electronic search over 60,000 square
nautical miles each sortie;
6
Pilatus Britten-Norman Islanders with visual search capacity over
a 650 nautical mile track;
1
Aero Commander AC500 Shrike with visual search capacity over a 750
nautical mile track.
1
Bell 206 Longranger IV helicopter with visual search capacity day
or night over a 250 nautical mile track. The
two new Dash 8s will be operated by five full crews. They will give an
additional 4000 hours a year of electronic surveillance, increasing Coastwatch's
aerial surveillance capability by 63 per cent in terms of coverage, or
from 7000 to 11,000 hours a year. This will allow surveillance of the
extended areas of risk to the north-east of Australia and along the East
Coast. Added to this is the new helicopter with night-flying capability
in the Torres Strait area. On the West Coast, coverage between Broome
and Perth will also be increased.
The
greater electronic surveillance capacity is in additional to the 7500
hours a year of visual surveillance by the other aircraft in the Coastwatch
fleet. The
Customs Marine Fleet's response role will be made even more valuable for
Coastwatch by the Government's decision to replace the existing fleet
of six vessels with eight larger, longer range and more capable vessels.
The new fleet will be fully operational in 2000 and will be able to provide
1200 sea days in a full year.
On
the ground, Coastwatch will benefit from a significant increase in its
ability to analyse intelligence, rather than, at present, being largely
confined to acting on intelligence received. This means much more effective
targeting of better defined search areas and the ability to be more proactive.
Although
the new coverage on the East Coast has a primary focus on illegal entrants,
an effect will be to benefit other Coastwatch clients with responsibilities
in the area, because of the increased presence.
But
the very welcome enhancements will place a much greater onus on Coastwatch
to come up with the results that these advances promise. After all, it
is already covering an area of nine million square kilometres around Australia.
And,
despite the heightened focus on illegal entrants, Coastwatch must continue
to carry out its existing regular commitments for the other client agencies.
These include the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, the Australian
Quarantine and Inspection Service and Environment Australia. Similarly,
the intelligence-based activities for Customs and other aspects of work
for the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs will remain
as demanding. Big
gains will come from the increased ability to use more and better intelligence,
both in terms of sources and in the heightened strengths in analysis.
In turn, these gains will lead to a kind of compounding effect through
greater utilisation of the aircraft.
The
radar fitted to Coastwatch aircraft has proven to be very effective. But
we work them hard and from time to time they become unserviceable. The
decision to set up a radar maintenance facility in Australia means that
this sophisticated equipment will no longer have to be sent back to the
United States for servicing. This will reduce the time taken to repair
the equipment, reduce aircraft down time and increase time on task for
surveillance.
As
well as a small bonus for Australian employment, the final effect of these
inter-related benefits will be to give Coastwatch the use of slightly
more than the equivalent of two additional aircraft and a helicopter.
He
said the new Coastwatch National Surveillance Centre provided the means
to make that happen.
"Surveillance
intelligence, when developed in conjunction with other sources, will greatly
strengthen our ability to deliver an expanded top-class service efficiently
and effectively. Our priority is the optimal management of information
that will enable us to better allocate our limited resources." He
said the recent Task Force's recommendations were an excellent blueprint
on which to build a strategy for the introduction of the best available
technology to serve Coastwatch requirements into the next century.
Rear-Admiral
Shalders joined the Royal Australian Navy as a Cadet Midshipman in 1967.
His first command, in 1975, was the Papua New Guinea Defence Force Attack
Class patrol boat Samarai, based at Manus Island.
Other
seagoing commands were the frigates HMAS Sydney and HMAS Darwin
(during the Gulf War, for which he was awarded the Conspicuous Service
Cross), and the guided missile destroyer, HMAS Perth.
Before
joining Coastwatch, Admiral Shalders held the position of Commodore Flotillas,
responsible to the Maritime Commander, Australia, for the operational
readiness of all the Navy's ships, submarines and aircraft. He was promoted
to the rank of Rear-Admiral and seconded to Customs in mid-July.
Surveillance
of the Australian coastline has been described as "...the 37,000
kilometre challenge". Add to this nine million square nautical kilometres
of offshore exclusive economic zone for the mainland and Tasmania, not
to mention areas around our external territories, and you start to get
an appreciation of how large the task is.
Coastwatch
has proven time and again that, given timely access to intelligence pointing
to a likely breach of the border or Australia's offshore sovereignty rights,
we can position aircraft and vessels to prevent this from occurring. Information
from the new National Surveillance Centre will be an advantage that we
have not always enjoyed in the past.
Rod
Stone is Coastwatch's Director of Operations. People
smuggling issues will also receive high priority in the work of Australia's
overseas missions. Importance will be placed on concluding arrangements
with source and transit countries and strengthening international cooperation
in combating people smuggling. Australia will seek the cooperation of
Chinese officials to stop the departure of boats and expedite the speedy
return of boat people.
Efforts
will be made to extend the arrangements with Indonesia and Papua New Guinea
on third country nationals attempting to enter Australia illegally and
develop similar arrangements with New Zealand and the Solomon Islands
with the objective of assisting with the removal of third country nationals
from those transit nations before they enter Australia. These arrangements
will also be developed, as appropriate, with other source and transit
countries.
The
Government is legislating to toughen maritime investigatory and enforcement
powers and to complement legislation on stronger penalties against people
smuggling.
Burning
of seized fishing vessels, Willie Creek, north-western Australia.
Customs
vessel RoebuckBay on patrol.
The new Dash 8s will be delivered in August 2000 and the helicopter is
expected to start operations in January 2000. This will give Coastwatch
a fleet of:
1 Bell 412EP helicopter with electronic surveillance capacity and
extended endurance.
As well, we will continue to have the Navy's patrol boats for 1800 sea
days a year and use of the Air Force's P3C Orions for 250 hours a year.
Onus on Coastwatch
Coastwatch helicopters perform a valuable role in the Torres
Strait area.
The
new arrangements mean not just the ability to spread our footprint over
much expanded surveillance areas in the east. They will include more patrols
on the west and south.
Information is the key
The new Director General Coastwatch, Rear-Admiral Russ Shalders, sees better management
of a greater flow of information as the key to Coastwatch "getting
ahead of the game and staying ahead".
National
Surveillance Centre
The Coastwatch National Surveillance Centre is a key ingredient in the
package. Already in the design stage, it is being set up at Customs Canberra
headquarters and is expected to be operating by December 1999. With its
direct links to the intelligence community, the centre will close the
intelligence gap recognised by the Task Force and Heggen. This analytical
capacity will operate 24 hours every day.
Other key recommendations
Other key recommendations of the Task Force
will see an additional seven Immigration officers placed overseas in key
Asian, African and Middle East cities to detect and deter illegal immigration
by boat and to strengthen information gathering.
Because illegal immigration by air far exceeds illegal boat arrivals,
and some illegal boat arrivals begin their journey with a plane flight,
another five Immigration officers will be placed in Bangkok, Denpassar,
Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
Next
Previous
Contents
VOLUME 2 • No 3 • NOVEMBER 1999
5 Constitution Avenue Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: (02) 6275 6793 Fax: (02) 6275 6992
http://www.customs.gov.au communication@customs.gov.au