The National Crime Authority (NCA) was an Australian law enforcement agency established in 1984. In 2003 it was superseded by the Australian Crime Commission (ACC).
The NCA was set up in the wake of the Costigan Commission, which investigated tax evasion and organised crime. It was intended to lead a national law enforcement response to organised crime which could overcome the jurisdictional barriers of the Australian federal system. It had extraordinary powers which removed many of the barriers which prevented other enforcement organisations from being able to comprehensively investigate or prosecute.
The NCA was frequently criticised both for misuse of these powers and lack of effectiveness. Some argue that perception was often due to the covert operations and extreme secrecy required as a direct result of the level of criminals being targeted, and the risk to the operatives and their families. The staff and operatives of the NCA were often reminded by the Chairman that "we are dealing with the most evil, calculating and manipulative people who have significant financial resources and good reason to stop us in our work or harm us as individuals." This was evident when the targeted killing of NCA Senior Investigator Det Sgt Geoffrey Bowen occurred on 2 March 1994 at the Adelaide office of the NCA. Det Sgt Bowen was killed by opening a specifically and personally addressed parcel bomb, addressed to both him and partner Det Snr Sgt Peter Coombs, with a force so severe that it blew out the brick wall of the building on the 12th floor. Det Sgt Bowen was the senior investigator on Operation Cerberus, an investigation into Italian organised crime in Australia. An NCA staff member also lost an eye and suffered severe burns to 40% of his body as a result of this incident. To date, no one has been convicted of this murder.
The role of the NCA was essentially to gather the intelligence surrounding a specific matter and then hand the matter across to either AFP, ATO or Customs, along with the assistance of the relevant State Police force to effect a strike on the known targets. For the reasons stated, the NCA operatives were never known or seen to the general public, and the credit for the success of the operation went to those in the public light of the media releases, generally the AFP or Customs. Some argue that NCA was in fact responsible for some of the Commonwealth's largest drug hauls, and the destruction of numerous criminal networks across Australia and overseas.
Businessman and former Liberal Party President John Elliott accused the NCA of running a vendetta against him inspired by the then Labor government.
The NCA was abolished in 2002. Many attribute this to when the Chairman, Gary Crooke QC, started to publicly contradict and argue with Prime Minister John Howard on many issues, in particular the issue of safe injecting rooms. The NCA has since being replaced by the Australian Crime Commission