Kerry Nettle (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I am going on the public guidelines. We do not have very much information about what ASIS do. But if you look on the website, you see that it says, ‘ASIS is Australia’s overseas human intelligence collection agency.’ The legislation that defines what ASIS do talks about ASIS operating outside of Australian territory. So they are different. So, on what we have in the legislation about ASIO already having access to that information, it is their job to spy on Australians. I am using simple language because I think it helps us understand what we are talking about. If ASIS’s job is to spy outside Australia, why do they need this access? I see them as different and I would like an explanation as to why ASIS, given what I understand to be their different role, need this access.