Committee to review proposed crime-related laws

The Bill amends and clarifies the intended operation of provisions in various crime-related statutes, including by:

expressly authorising police, when executing search warrants issued under the Crimes Act 1914 or Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, to seize digital assets, such as cryptocurrency, including by accessing a person’s digital wallet and transferring its contents;
amending the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to extend the investigative and freezing powers that currently apply to financial institutions to also apply in relation to digital currency exchanges;
increasing the value of the Commonwealth ‘penalty unit’ from $313 to $330;
creating a position of Communications Security Coordinator in the Department of Home Affairs, with responsibility for certain telecommunications security functions currently assigned to the Communications Access Coordinator in the Attorney‑General’s Department;
amending information-sharing provisions in the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 to enhance the ability of state-based oversight bodies for integrity agencies to receive interception information and interception warrant information from agencies within their jurisdictions.

The committee isd inviting written submissions to the inquiry by May 9, 2024.

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

ends