Committee supports passage of crime-related laws

THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (the committee) has today tabled its Advisory Report on the Crimes and Other Legislation Amendment (Omnibus No. 1) Bill 2024.

The Bill amends and clarifies the intended operation of various crime-related laws, including:

• expressly authorising police, when executing search warrants, to seize digital assets, such as cryptocurrency;
• extending the investigative and freezing powers under existing proceeds of crime laws to apply 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;
• amending information-sharing provisions to ensure state-based oversight bodies for integrity agencies can access material that has been lawfully intercepted by the agencies they oversee.

The committee recommended that the Bill be passed by the Parliament, subject to one technical amendment to ensure that the Bill’s changes in relation to the Parliamentary Inspector of the Corruption and Crime Commission of Western Australia are fully effective.

The committee also made two recommendations for future reforms, including:

• that the government consider whether state-based oversight bodies should be given access to stored communications and telecommunications data held by the integrity agencies within their jurisdictions; and
• amendments to ensure that Ministerial declarations of new entities authorised to access stored communications or telecommunications data are subject to review.

Peter Khalil MP, Chair of the PJCIS, said, "The committee welcomes the measures in this Bill, which will help ensure that key law enforcement and security legislation remains effective, fit-for-purpose and subject to appropriate oversight.

“The committee looks forward to continuing to be engaged in the review of legislation to reform Australia’s electronic surveillance powers.”

The full report and further information on the inquiry can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

 

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