George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

I table a supplementary explanatory memorandum relating to the government amendments to be moved to this bill and seek leave to move all government amends together.

Leave not granted.

The CHAIRMAN: Minister, we do have the running sheet. I do not know if you want to follow it in that order.

Mr Chairman, I will follow the running sheet. I think that is a shame because, given there are so many amendments, in view of the limitation of time in the debate I am sorry to say that the Greens denial of leave to move the government's amendments and get them out of the way together means a lot of the amendments will not be able to be debated at all, in all likelihood. I seek leave to move government amendments (1) to (3) on sheet ZA358.

Leave granted.

I move government amendments (1) to (3) on sheet ZA358:

(1) Schedule 1, item 21, page 7 (line 20), omit "ASIO", substitute "The Director-General of Security".

(2) Schedule 1, item 21, page 7 (line 21), omit "it", substitute "the Director-General".

(3) Schedule 1, item 21, page 8 (lines 1 to 5), omit subsection 22A(3), substitute:

(3) If an Australian travel document of a person has been suspended under subsection (1), another request under subsection (2) relating to the person must not be made unless the grounds for suspicion mentioned in subsection (2) include information first obtained by the Director-General of Security or an officer or employee of ASIO after the end of the suspension.

(4) The Director-General of Security may, in writing, delegate his or her power under subsection (2) to a Deputy Director-General of Security (within the meaning of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979).

(5) In exercising power under a delegation, the delegate must comply with any directions of the Director-General of Security.

Amendments (1) to (3) implement Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security recommendation 26 by only allowing the director-general of security—or a deputy director-general of security, if delegated the power by the director-general—to make a request for the suspension of an Australian travel document under section 22A of the Passports Act, rather than ASIO as an organisation, as provided for in the bill. It is an amendment, essentially, of a technical character. As I say, it gives effect to PJCIS recommendation 26.