Intelligence and Security Committee to review ASIO’s compulsory questioning powers

THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has commenced an inquiry into the operation, effectiveness and implications of Division 3 of Part III of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 (the ASIO Act) which relates to compulsory questioning powers.

Division 3 of Part III of the ASIO Act provides for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) to request that the Attorney-General issue a warrant to require a person to appear before a prescribed authority to give information, or produce a record or other thing, that is, or may be, relevant to intelligence that is important in relation to a questioning matter.

Chair of the PJCIS, Peter Khalil MP said, “This review will provide a valuable opportunity to consider the effectiveness of questioning warrants in relation to espionage, politically motivated violence and foreign interference, and the continued appropriateness of the current compulsory questioning laws.”

The committee requested submissions to the inquiry by Thursday, February 1, 2024.

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

 

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