ACIC CEO ‘opens the books’ on serious and organised crime

On 6 November, the National Security College (NSC) hosted the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) CEO Heather Cook’s inaugural public address. Delivering a frank assessment of the modern serious and organised crime threat, Ms Cook launched two major public reports and revealed the staggering scale of the problem: the direct and indirect cost of organised crime to Australia reached $82.3 billion in 2023–24.

In a speech titled 'Opening the books', Ms Cook detailed how criminal networks have fundamentally shifted, becoming "borderless, decentralised, digitally enabled and increasingly embedded within legitimate systems," now operating with the sophistication of multinational businesses. This rapid evolution poses a complex challenge to national security, law enforcement, and regulatory frameworks.

Ms Cook said that the response to this threat must evolve at the same pace as the threat itself. She said,

Building resilience must move beyond just enforcement – it requires a national, coordinated response informed by the best intelligence and research available.

Following the address, Ms Cook joined NSC Head Professor Rory Medcalf AM for an insightful fireside chat and Q&A session, exploring what a ‘whole-of-nation’ response to organised crime could look like.

Download the two reports launched at the event.

1. Opening the books: The impact of serious and organised crime on Australia in 2025 by ACIC
2. The costs of serious and organised crime in Australia, 2023–24 report by the Australian Institute of Criminology