The Intelligence Services Act 2001 (ISA) is an Act of the
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislature, legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the ...
, which made significant changes to the
Australian Intelligence Community (AIC). The bill was introduced into Parliament on 27 June 2001
by then Minister for Foreign Affairs
Alexander Downer
Alexander John Gosse Downer (born 9 September 1951) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1994 to 1995, Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 2007, and High Commissioner to the United King ...
. The Act was passed by Parliament on 29 September 2001 and came into effect on 29 October 2001.
The Act introduced three main reforms:
* it provided a statutory basis for the
Australian Secret Intelligence Service
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
(ASIS) and the
Australian Signals Directorate
Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), formerly the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) is the federal statutory agency in the Australian Government responsible for foreign signals intelligence, support to military operations, cyber warfare, and ...
(at the time called the Defence Signals Directorate, DSD), both of which had been previously established by and operated under
executive order
In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of th ...
.
* increased powers for the
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO ) is Australia's national security agency responsible for the protection of the country and its citizens from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign interference, politically motivated vio ...
(ASIO), ASIS and DSD.
* established the Parliamentary Joint Committee on ASIO, ASIS and DSD to replace the former Parliamentary Joint Committee on ASIO (which was established in 1988) and the Joint Select Committee on the Intelligence Services. The Committee was appointed in March 2002. The Committee's purview was expanded from 1 July 2004 to include DIO, DIGO and ONA, following the recommendations of the Flood Inquiry. On 2 December 2005, the name of the Committee was changed to the
Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) is a joint committee of the Parliament of Australia which oversees Australia's primary agencies of the Australian Intelligence Community: Australian Security Intelligence Organi ...
(PJCIS).
See also
*
Intelligence Services Amendment Act 2004
The Intelligence Services Amendment Act 2004 was passed by the Parliament of Australia on 1 April 2004
as an amendment to the Intelligence Services Act 2001 (ISA) to grant controversial new powers to the Australian Secret Intelligence Service. Th ...
References
External links
Intelligence Services Act 2001AIC Privacy Protectionsfrom the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security
2001 in Australian law
Australian intelligence agencies
Acts of the Parliament of Australia
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