The Government today announced changes to how intelligence agencies are governed.The decisions came out of a review carried out by former secretary of foreign affairs™, Simon Murdoch, a review publicised last year when it was revealed in a notebook
The Government today announced changes to how intelligence agencies are governed.
The decisions came out of a review carried out by former secretary of foreign affairs™, Simon Murdoch, a review publicised last year when it was revealed in a notebook found by a Radio New Zealand reporter.
Prime Minister John Key is Minister in Charge of the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) and Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB).
The Government would have more oversight of what the agencies did.
"The central agencies - Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC), Treasury and State Services Commission - will now have greater oversight of the intelligence agencies covering performance, the setting of priorities and resource allocation," Mr Key said.
"However, as happens now, the central agencies will not have any role in relation to the actual operations of the intelligence agencies. The intelligence agencies will remain under the oversight of the Inspector-General of Intelligence&Security and the Commissioner of Security Warrants."
He also announced that the director of DPMC's National Assessments Bureau (previously the External Assessments Bureau) would be responsible for a national assessments programme that included domestic and external intelligence sources.
"The director will also establish quality standards across the intelligence agencies for the assessment and analysis of intelligence. The New Zealand intelligence community has expanded in scope and functions over the past decade as a result of changes in the security environment.
"These changes are designed to ensure the agencies keep pace with changes in the security environment, so we can better meet the security challenges we face."
One News obtained a summary of the review, with information about relationships with other countries and capability of agencies removed. The review said intelligence agencies had focussed on international events and information, supported offshore commitments and had close links with foreign powers.
Mr Key told One News the focus would be more domestic.
"This is important to New Zealanders... and I think you've got to have that balance right between your international and your domestic obligations."
Green MP Keith Locke said he welcomed more oversight but questioned how effective it would be.
"I am a bit sceptical that just adding another bureaucratic layer in the Prime Minister's Department is not the solution," he told NZPA.
"What we need is more public accountability, particularly to Parliament about what our intelligence services are doing and their priorities. At the moment... we don't even know what the Waihopai satellite communications interception station costs."
He remained concerned about accountability.
"The intelligence services are still going to be able to protect all their operational information, which may continue the problem of their coordination and priority setting mainly being driven by overseas -- particularly by American intelligence agencies rather than by the government or parliament or people of New Zealand."
Mr Locke questioned whether the National Assessments Bureau would mean the "boffins" who previously spent their time writing reports about international affairs would duplicate the work of the SIS and police.
