Governance

The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) is part of the Attorney-General's Portfolio and accountable to the Attorney-General.

The Criminology Research Advisory Council, representing Commonwealth and state and territory justice agencies, is responsible for providing advice to the Director of the AIC on strategic priorities for research and priorities for communicating research results.

AIC research is also subject to ethical standards which are governed through the oversight of an ethics committee, in accordance with National Health and Medical Research Council requirements.

Legal services expenditure

Paragraph 11.1(ba) of the Legal Services Directions 2017, issued by the Attorney-General under the Judiciary Act 1903 (Cwlth), requires Chief Executives of agencies subject to the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (Cwlth) to ensure that their agencies’ legal services purchasing, including expenditure, is appropriately recorded and monitored and that, by 30 October each year, the agency makes publicly available records of the legal services expenditure for the previous financial year.

This obligation was included in the Directions to enhance the transparency of legal services expenditure recording and reporting in line with the findings of the Australian National Audit Office in its report on Legal Services Arrangements in the Australian Public Service (Report No. 52 of 2004–05).

Summary of legal services expenditure

The AIC's reports on legal services expenditure for past financial years, including external and internal expenditure, can be accessed below.

There was no legal services expenditure in 2019-20.

Remuneration paid to substantive senior executive officers

Following a machinery-of-government change in October 2015, staff from the AIC were transferred to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. Executive remuneration reporting arrangements have been consolidated and are available on the ACIC's website.

Senate files lists

In accordance with ‘Senate Continuing Order’, as varied by the Senate on 3 December 1998, relevant new files created for the agency are listed on the Senate File Lists section of this website.

Senate Order contracts

Senate Order on entity contracts listing for 2023 calendar year

Pursuant to the Senate Order on non-corporate Commonwealth entity contracts, the Australian Institute of Criminology provides a list of procurement contracts entered into which provide for a consideration of $100,000 or more and; 

  • have not been fully performed as at 31 December 2023 or
  • have been entered into during the 12 months prior to 31 December 2023.

All procurement contracts required to be listed pursuant to the Senate Order can be found on the AusTender website.

Most of the contracts listed contain confidentiality provisions of a general nature that are designed to protect the confidential information of the parties that may be obtained or generated in carrying out the contract. The reasons for including such clauses include:

  • ordinary commercial prudence that requires protection of trade secrets, proprietary information and the like; and/or
  • protection of other Commonwealth material and personal information.

The accountable authority of the Australian Institute of Criminology has assured that the listed contracts do not contain any inappropriate confidentiality provisions.

The Australian Institute of Criminology has estimated its cost of complying with the Senate Order is $490. This is determined by calculating the time taken to collect, analyse and compile the information and applying salary costs and on-costs.