Bill
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Bill 2023
passed, as at 2023-06-28. Home Affairs portfolio.
- Sponsor
- Not recorded
- Portfolio
- Home Affairs
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2023-03-29
- second reading — 2023-03-29
- second reading — 2023-06-15
- second reading — 2023-06-15
- third reading — 2023-06-15
- introduced — 2023-06-16
- second reading — 2023-06-16
- second reading — 2023-06-22
- third reading — 2023-06-22
- passed — 2023-06-22
- royal assent — 2023-06-28
Divisions
No divisions recorded. Most questions are decided on the voices; this does not establish that a bill was unopposed.
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2023-03-29.
The bill would give ASIO central responsibility for issuing and managing Australia's highest-level security clearances.
ASIO would gain new powers to make security clearance decisions for all government personnel, not just its own employees, and to share information with sponsoring agencies.
The bill would create a review framework including internal and external merits review and an independent review mechanism, with exceptions to protect sensitive operations.
- ASIO becomes the central authority for issuing and maintaining top-level security clearances.
- ASIO can make security clearance decisions for non-ASIO personnel.
- ASIO and sponsoring agencies can share information about clearance holders' suitability.
- The bill sets up a merits review framework for security clearance decisions.
- The bill creates an independent review mechanism for security clearance suitability assessments.
- The bill disapplies Part IV of the ASIO Act for communications under the new Part IVA.
People who hold or apply for Australia's highest-level security clearances, and the Commonwealth agencies that sponsor them.
Sources
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billhome
frl act