Australia establishes Home Affairs Ministry

The Prime Minister said it will be headed by the current Immigration Minister Peter Dutton. He will oversee the new ministry and be assisted by Attorney-General George Brandis and Justice Minister Michael Keenan.

For the first time, Australia will have one minister focused solely on matters of intelligence and counter terrorism. Until now, this responsibility has been shared.

According to an official statement, Australia was facing an increasingly complex security environment, evolving threats from terrorism and organised crime, and the development of new and emerging technologies, including encryption, and in view of these developments, the Prime Minister had announced a review of Australia's Intelligence Community last year.

Mr Turnbull has said the establishment of the Home Affairs Ministry is the most "significant reform of Australia's national intelligence and domestic security arrangements and their oversight in more than 40 years"./.