Launch of Strategic Border Command and opening of Victoria Regional Command will result in stronger borders

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Thursday, 03 July 2014

Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, the Hon. Scott Morrison MP, today launched the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service's (ACBPS) Strategic Border Command (SBC) and officially opened the Victorian Regional Command Headquarters in Melbourne.

Minister Morrison said SBC – which came into operational effect on 1 July as part of the border protection reforms – will boost the Service's national enforcement capability and ensure monitoring of our borders in real time in the face of increasing volumes of trade and travellers.

'Every year the port of Melbourne alone handles more than two and a half million cargo container movements, 400 000 new motor vehicle arrivals, more than 25 million mail articles, and more than seven million passengers arriving from overseas, with further growth across all these streams expected,' Minister Morrison said.

Regional Command Victoria is the first of five regional commands to 'go live' as part of the Service's new operating model.

'Regional Command Victoria and the Strategic Border Command in Canberra are a part of this government's commitment to border protection reform. They will contribute to stronger borders in this important State, and nationally through the targeted and centralised Strategic Border Command model.

'The SBC will provide clear priorities and direction through national oversight and control of all regional operations. It will coordinate this operational activity through a 24/7 command centre supporting the Regional Commands with live monitoring of operations, instant communication, and a focused response to border incidents as needed.

'These changes will benefit the state of Victoria by focusing our enforcement efforts on areas of highest risk such as firearms and drug trafficking,' Minister Morrison said.

Regional Command Victoria and the Strategic Border Command will be supported by the Border Force within the ACBPS's existing workforce, a vocational stream which also came into effect 1 July as part of the border protection reforms.

The Border Force within the existing ACBPS will meet the challenge of increasing trade and travel volumes at the border by drawing together the operational, investigations, compliance, and enforcement functions of the Service into a single stream.

The Victoria Regional Command includes border security operations being conducted from offices in Tasmania and the Victorian district ports of Geelong and Portland.

The remaining State and Territory Regional Command centres in New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, and Central Region will be launched over the next three months, and will set the foundation in building the core capability for the Australian Border Force which comes into effect on 1 July 2015 within the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

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URL:http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/media/sm/2014/sm216471.htm
Last update: Wednesday, 16 July 2014 at 14:04 AEST