What we do

Intelligence
Operational Intelligence focuses on the analysis and use of financial transaction reports data to support the objectives of AUSTRAC's partner agencies.

Operational Intelligence consists of the following:

Suspect Reports Analysis
The Suspect Reports Analysis unit is responsible for receiving, processing and assessing suspect transaction reports (SUSTRs) submitted by cash dealers (reporting entities) under the Financial Transaction Reports Act 1988 (FTR Act). An officer in the Suspect Reports Analysis unit is responsible for evaluating and reading SUSTRs to determine if further action is warranted. This involves queries for additional financial transaction data, searches on other data sources and checks with our partner agencies.

Monitoring and Analysis
Monitoring and Analysis is responsible for producing financial intelligence assessments on matters of potential interest to AUSTRAC's domestic and international partner agencies. The unit comprises a number of highly skilled analysts who are experts in scrutinising the AUSTRAC database and preparing intelligence assessments detailing the financial behaviour of persons and highlighting suspicious and/or potential criminal activity.

Tactical Analysis and Support
The Tactical Analysis and Support team provides a network of outposted Senior Intelligence and Liaison Officers (SILOs) to AUSTRAC partner agencies such as the Australian Federal Police and Customs in each of the major capital cities across the country. SILOs are responsible for providing comprehensive onsite analytical support, ensuring integration of AUSTRAC information into partner agency operations and investigations and facilitating communication between AUSTRAC and partner agencies about Intelligence related matters.

Domestic Relations – Regulated Entities
Domestic Relations – Regulated Entities (DR-RE) is responsible for identifying new regulated entities and educating both new and existing regulated entities about the obligations they may incur under the FTR Act and the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act). Click here to see the definition of regulated entities under section 6 of the AML/CTF Act.

DR-RE is also responsible for responding to enquiries about the FTR Act and AML/CTF Act from the public.

Data Integrity Team
The Data Integrity Team is responsible for the ongoing monitoring, assessment and rating of the data reported to AUSTRAC, with an emphasis on the identification of quality, timing and volume issues requiring remedial action; identification of areas of greatest concern for potential noncompliance; profiling high-risk sectors.

Help Desk and Remitter Registration
The Help Desk is the main point of contact within AUSTRAC for reporting entities and the general public. Help Desk officers develop strong knowledge of the legislation and build relationships with reporting entities in order to answer complex technical queries about all aspects of the Financial Transaction Reports Act 1988 and Regulations, the AML/CTF Act and Rules and AUSTRAC policy application for reporting entities. The registration team deals with a unique sector of the financial community and is responsible for ensuring that all providers of designated remittance services are registered in accordance with Part 6 of the AML/CTF Act.

People Strategies and Solutions
The People Strategies and Solutions (PSS) unit consists of the Recruitment, Personnel Services, Workplace Solutions and Workforce Planning teams. The aim of the unit is to develop and recruit the best people for AUSTRAC and provide them with the skills, experience and knowledge necessary for them to achieve the agency’s mission. PSS also provides high quality personnel services to AUSTRAC staff such as payroll, personnel policies and associated tools. The unit is committed to developing and enabling a culture of professionalism and enthusiasm.

Information Management
Information Management (IM) is the collection and management of information from one or more sources and the distribution of that information to one or more audiences. The IM section is responsible for physical and electronic records management.  This includes the capture, storage, and location tracking of files; recordkeeping compliance audits; user support and training as well as archiving. Its purpose is to deliver internal information management strategies and activities in support of AUSTRAC’s vision, purpose and strategic priorities.

AML Reform
The functions and responsibilities of AUSTRAC have changed with the enactment of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act). The legislation will be implemented in a staggered manner over three years. The Reform Program Office (RPO) is responsible for overseeing the capacity and capability building across the agency in the form of a reform program and performs support and reporting functions. The RPO works with relevant project managers to identify new projects, assist in scheduling and value-adding to the project planning process, monitor the progress of each project, manage the interdependencies between projects and facilitate cross-agency meetings where required. The RPO provides formal written and verbal reports to AUSTRAC’s Reform Steering Committee on a monthly basis.

Compliance and Enforcement
The Compliance and Enforcement branch comprises the Compliance section and the Enforcement section.

Compliance
The Compliance section oversees industry groups regulated by AUSTRAC; researches and monitors compliance and risk of regulated entities, liaises with regulated entities to improve the accuracy and completeness of their customer due diligence and reporting systems and conducts inspections and audits to progress compliance.
The Compliance section is made up of teams that specialise in regulating different segments of the financial services industry and other institutions that provide designated services. Our teams currently fall within one of the following specialisations:

• major banks
• authorised deposit-taking institutions
• money service businesses
• non-bank financial sector
• gaming

Enforcement
The Enforcement section liaises with relevant law enforcement agencies and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions to assess and progress potential legal action and prosecution of non-compliance. The team also works closely with our inspection/audit and data quality staff to ensure high quality evidentiary material and audit trails are in place to support legal action, manage injunctive actions and prepare briefs.

Regulatory Policy
The duties of the Regulatory Policy branch’s Policy team include:
• ensuring the effectiveness of governing legislation
• development, maintenance and interpretation of regulatory policies
• provision of policy advice, including sanction selection
• managing the implementation of Australia’s evolving AML/CTF environment

Legal
The Legal branch provides legal advice on any issues referred by AUSTRAC’s business units and the Executive, including the Chief Executive Officer. Such issues include advice on legislation administered by AUSTRAC (the FTR Act and the AML/CTF Act), public sector legislation including Freedom of Information requests and reviews, agency compliance with the Privacy Act 1988, subpoenas, memoranda of understanding, workplace relations, advising staff on evidentiary matters and legal briefs, intellectual property, procurement and litigation.

Government Relations
Government Relations is responsible for:
• ministerial and parliamentary services (coordination of ministerial and parliamentary liaison, including with parliamentary committees and parliamentary legislative inquiries)
• strategic policy (legislative reviews, new policy proposals, coordination of submissions to government inquiries, interdepartmental committees, inter-departmental/whole-of-government forum representation).

Partner Agencies
The Domestic Relations Partner Agencies team is responsible for the management of relationships with partner agencies and promotion of AUSTRAC information and training to partner agencies. Some of these partner agencies include the Australian Federal Police, the Australian Crime Commission and Customs.

International Technical Assistance and Training
AUSTRAC works both bilaterally and multilaterally to facilitate the exchange of financial information and to build an international environment hostile to money laundering, major crime, revenue evasion and the sponsorship of terrorism.
AUSTRAC's bilateral relationships include memoranda of understanding (MOUs) between AUSTRAC and other financial intelligence units around the world and technical assistance and training initiatives in which AUSTRAC assists countries to develop stronger anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regimes.