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

I believe it is relevant to this legislation, because the existing anti-money-laundering legislation allows ASIO access to AUSTRAC information. This legislation that we are dealing with right now is about giving ASIS access to AUSTRAC, and you have given explanations around circumstances in which you think that that may be appropriate.

I am going to what is currently there, which is about ASIO’s existing access to AUSTRAC, whereby ASIO can disclose information that they got from AUSTRAC to other people for the purpose of their work. If what is currently there allows ASIO to disclose information they got from AUSTRAC to ASIS officers, then why do we need, in this next piece of legislation, to specifically give ASIS access to AUSTRAC information? That is what I am trying to understand. What I read in the existing legislation is that they can already do that. Perhaps I am wrong. If they can already do that, why do we need to give ASIS specific access to the AUSTRAC information? They can already get it, when they need it, through ASIO.