Force to focus on corruption National The Abbott government will consider creating a new taskforce to investigate white-collar crime as the Leighton Holdings corruption claims cast a pall over existing regulators' performance. Fairfax Media understands the government will soon consider supporting and funding a new multi-agency standing taskforce dedicated to cracking down on foreign bribery, fraud and white-collar crime. Such a group would involve the Australian Federal Police, the Tax Office, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Crime Commission. Separately, the Greens have proposed a new agency to focus on white-collar crime, similar to Britain's Serious Fraud Office or the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Nationals senator John Williams, instrumental in launching the present parliamentary inquiry into ASIC, said he supported any measure that would "help keep people honest." Fairfax Media reported on Friday that ASIC faced criticism for failing to conduct comprehensive inquiries into Leighton two years after the firm contacted federal police over concerns about its dealings in Iraq. Senator Williams seized on the reports to renew his criticism of ASIC's slow and inadequate investigative record, saying the the Senate economics references committee would try to find the reasons for the tardiness. "I don't know whether ASIC needs more laws, to be resourced better, or to be split up," he said.