Review of the Telecommunication and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act 2018

THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has commenced a review of the Telecommunication and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act 2018.

The then Bill was passed by the Parliament on December 6, 2018, and the amendments made by that Bill were referred to the Committee by the Senate.

The Chair, Andrew Hastie MP, and the Deputy Chair, Anthony Byrne MP issued the following joint statement:

"The Committee reached bipartisan agreement in its report on the Assistance and Access Bill. This review will focus on the final Act as passed by the Parliament on December 6, 2018, with specific reference to Government amendments—including those made to effect the Committee’s bipartisan recommendations—made on that date. This further inquiry implements Recommendation 16 of the Committee’s report on the Assistance and Access Bill, for the Committee to complete a review of the new laws by April 3, 2019."

The Committee will accept submissions on any new matters arising with the passage of the Act, and will consider the need for further hearings as the inquiry progresses.

In addition to the current review, the Committee will again be required to review the new laws alongside its review of the data retention regime. That statutory review must be commenced by April 2019 and completed by April 2020.

Further information on the inquiry can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

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