Government commits $5m to tackle environmental crimes

The Australian government has committed more than $5 million over the next two years to strengthen financial crime-fighting partnerships with Pacific nations, including a focus on environmental crime.

According to the authority, environmental crime encompasses deliberate acts or negligence that cause harm to the environment and often linked to transnational organised crime including unlawful pollution and waste, wildlife trafficking and illegal logging and timber trade.

The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) chief executive Brendan Thomas said the funding will help the organisations identify drug trafficking, child sexual exploitation, environmental crime and other serious crimes affecting Australia and the region.

Thomas was also recently appointed to co-chair the Pacific Financial Intelligence Community (PFIC) initiative and noted the funding will be important to identify bad actors at its source.

"These crimes cause significant harm to Australian and Pacific communities and every dollar laundered helps them flourish," he said.

"AUSTRAC's long-standing Pacific partnerships are aimed at helping the region better detect and disrupt illicit money flows linked to transnational organised crime.

"With this funding AUSTRAC will strengthen those capabilities even further - including using artificial intelligence to more effectively detect illicit financial flows and to ultimately protect communities across the region and in Australia.

"This investment is about giving Pacific partners the tools and skills to follow the money behind serious crime, ensuring Pacific partners are equipped to protect their financial systems and, in turn, Australia's."

AUSTRAC is also expanding training and mentoring for analysts and regulators, focused on practical detection techniques, emerging criminal trends impacting the region, and stronger engagement with reporting entities, it said.

"This is a long-term partnership. We're working side by side with Pacific agencies to build capability, share intelligence and stop criminal activity at its source," Thomas added.

AUSTRAC works closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australian Federal police (AFP) and regional partners to deliver programs as part of Australia's broader commitment to stability, security and prosperity in the region.