Crime is a significant social and economic problem in Australia. The Australian Government is determined to assist State and Territory Governments in protecting the country’s citizens from crime and victimization. The 2004-05 Budget of the Australian Government will allow funding for new initiatives along with funding for the continuation of successful criminal justice and crime prevention programs. A total of $20.1 million in Federal funds has been committed to the new National Community Crime Prevention Program. This new program contains a national community grants program that will provide funding to grassroots initiatives that enhance community safety through a focus on crime prevention. A total of $14.5 million in Federal funds has been allocated to the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Crime Commission, to be paid over a 4-year period. The funds will enable the agencies to effectively use the new surveillance device powers provided in the Surveillance Devices Bill 2004. Another $2.8 million will go to the Commonwealth Ombudsman and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to support these new surveillance device powers. In terms of funding for continuing programs, $3.9 million has been allocated to extend the pre-court diversion scheme and an Aboriginal interpreter service through June 2005. The Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) research program will receive $1.0 million for another year of research as per its commitment under the National Illicit Drug Strategy, which allocated $4.3 million over 4 years to DUMA through the end of 2008. Tables