Action to stamp out Customs corruption Exclusive An exchange program will be established with the AFP and other agencies to allow officers to be embedded within Customs. Mr Clare will also release a five-year plan by Customs to fight corruption, modernise its workforce and streamline processes for travellers and traders. Important anti-corruption reforms proposed include: ■ A fully electronic data reporting system for all goods leaving and arriving in Australia. ■ Extra smart gates at airports to process arriving travellers and expansion of their use to several other nationalities, including US and Chinese citizens. ■ A feasibility study for automating the airport departure process for passengers. With customs predicting air cargo in Australia to increase by nearly 65 million consignments within five years and a 24 per cent increase in international passengers over the same period, the Customs Reform Board's report warns of the "very real" threat posed by criminals seeking to exploit technological changes to infiltrate and corrupt Customs. While praising the directions outlined in the five-year blueprint, the trio warned that implementing the reforms into the agency's "everyday business" would be a big challenge, particularly in a "difficult fiscal climate." "This investment will need to be supported by a financial injection from government," the board concluded. Mr Clare told Fairfax Media on Tuesday that he was aware of the need to boost the Customs budget, which has barely changed since 2009-10, despite increasing demands caused by high growth in air cargo, sea cargo and overseas travellers. Addressing the corruption problems that have plagued the agency, Mr Clare said fixed-tenure periods for all Customs staff had been identified as an important change to minimise risks. This change will apply to all Customs officers now, with different time periods depending on the role they perform. The policy on Customs staff having second jobs will also be tightened. An exchange program will be established with the Australian Federal Police and other agencies to allow officers to be embedded within Customs. Other new measures include hiring an integrity adviser to conduct internal investigations, more stringent background checks on officers to identify criminal associations and bans on use of mobile phones in sensitive areas. Four customs officers and one Australian Quarantine Inspection Service official have been arrested in recent months as part of a police investigation centred on Sydney Airport customs staff and their alleged links to drug traffickers. Several other customs staff have resigned or been stood down as a result of other misconduct probes. Fairfax Media last month revealed a two-year investigation into Customs by the Australian Law Enforcement Integrity Commission found allegedly corrupt officers at Sydney airport helped form an international drug trafficking ring due to woeful oversight and a "weak integrity culture." Other reforms include a new command structure at Customs, with a Strategic Border Command post to be established to oversee a new $30 million intelligence gathering system.