📋 Tender Overview
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has backed the enactment of greater oversight of the intelligence community in a new bill with amendments. In its review of the Intelligence Oversight and Other Legislation Amendment Integrity Measures Bill 2020 tabled today the Committee supports the passage of the bill following implementation of four key recommendations.The Bill proposes to expand the oversight jurisdiction of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security IGIS to cover the intelligence functions of the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre AUSTRAC and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission ACIC and expand the oversight of the PJCIS to cover the intelligence functions of AUSTRAC.The Bill forms part of the Governments response to the 2020 Richardson Review of intelligence legislation.The Committee has recommended that the bill be passed by Parliament following implementation of four other recommendationsThat the remit of IGIS and PJCIS be further expanded to also cover the intelligence functions of the Australian Federal Police.That in addition to IGIS PJCIS be similarly provided with an oversight role over ACIC.That the Government review the scope and adequacy of legislative provisions relating to the retention and destruction of intelligence material.That the Government consider convening a regular meeting of the heads of intelligence integrity agencies to discuss coordination of their work and promotion of integrity within the National Intelligence Community.In an era of strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific and rapid technological change the government is rightly providing record funding and new powers to our intelligence community to meet new challenges and evolving threats.It is vital oversight and scrutiny keeps pace with these new capabilities to retain public confidence and ensure scarce resources are most effectively targeted to the most serious risks Chair of the PJCIS Senator James Paterson said.
