Confiscation of illegally obtained proceeds of crime is a key strategy for disrupting criminal activity, especially serious and organised crime by reducing its profitability and diminishing offenders' ability to finance further criminal activity. Confiscation schemes aim to redress imbalances by compensating society for the adverse impacts of criminal activity
and reimbursing the state for the costs incurred in fighting crime. There is also a public utility in demonstrating to the community that crime ‘does not pay’. This report outlines the confiscation schemes operating in Australia but points to the need for more systematic recording and reporting of information.