PJCIS approves rules for sharing foreign influence scheme information

THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has endorsed rules that allow sharing of information between administrators of the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme (FITS) and the Foreign Arrangements Scheme (FAS).

Committee Chair Peter Khalil MP today presented to Parliament a report by statement on the Committee’s review of the Rules, made under subsection 53(2) of the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act 2018 (FITS Act).

The new Rules authorise the Secretary of the Attorney-General's Department, which administers the FITS, to communicate FITS information to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), who are responsible for the FAS.

The committee agreed that streamlining interoperability between the two schemes was a legitimate and reasonable purpose for sharing FITS information with DFAT for the FAS.

The committee encouraged the government to consider a legislative amendment to similarly allow sharing information in the other direction, from the FAS to the FITS. The committee also urged administrators to take whatever measures they can to minimise the compliance burden on entities that may fall within both schemes.

The committee is undertaking a separate review of the FITS Act in its entirety, and looks forward to reporting to Parliament on that in due course.

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

 

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