Regulatory Regimes and Organised Crime: Report (html)

12. Conclusion

12.122 Consistently with the terms of reference, in this report the term ‘infiltration’ means both entering into and operating through lawful occupations and industries.

12.123 Organised crime groups will often seek to infiltrate lawful occupations and industries to support their existing, illicit activities and to provide new opportunities for profit and influence. Consequently, the regulatory regimes that govern occupations and industries of interest to organised crime groups have the potential to play a significant role in disrupting their activities.

12.124 However, as when creating any regulation, policy makers should be mindful of the burden that the use of regulatory regimes for this purpose is likely to place on regulators, law enforcement agencies and legitimate occupation and industry members.

12.125 It is clear that the nature and extent of the risk of infiltration will vary from industry to industry and that regulators are currently at different stages in the development of awareness of that risk and the development of responses to it.

12.126 For these reasons, the Commission’s report emphasises that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. Regulatory responses to risks of infiltration must be considered on an industry-by-industry basis.

12.127 The Commission’s consultations provided many reasons for optimism. There is a growing body of experience in Australia and internationally of the use of regulatory regimes to thwart the intentions of organised crime groups.

12.128 The Commission expresses its warm appreciation of the substantial contribution to this report made by persons and bodies who have made submissions and taken part in consultations.

12.129 The Commission is pleased to have had the opportunity to contribute to efforts to protect Victoria’s lawful occupations and industries and society in general from the threat posed by organised crime. It is hoped that the insights and proposals contained in this report will assist policy makers in developing and refining regulatory regimes to combat that threat.

12.130 The Commission recommends that the report be read in conjunction with the Victorian Guide to Regulation and used by policy makers in assessing the risks of organised crime infiltration of lawful occupations and industries and in developing regulatory responses to those risks.^[1]

12.131 The Commission commends this report to you.

1. See [ ].

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