Strong international, technological, political and social forces are changing the criminal challenge to Australia. These forces mean that the Australian Government will to need to take a greater role in law enforcement in the future.

It’s time for the federal cabinet to take a coordinated and strategic look at its law enforcement responsibilities, starting with a review of how today’s Commonwealth law enforcement system needs to adapt to the anticipated operating environment over the next 10–20 years.

This paper puts the case for a law enforcement white paper process that would assemble the arguments and allow the federal cabinet to decide on what role it will take in this central policy area.