Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal National Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, I present the committee's advisory report on the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2025.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—I present the committee's advisory report on the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2025. ASIO Amendment Bill (No. 1) proposes a single change to the ASIO Act: extend the operation of the ASIO compulsory questioning warrant framework for a further 18 months, from September 2025 to March 2027. While bill No. 1 proposes only a time extension, the concurrently introduced ASIO Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2025 seeks to make the compulsory questioning framework a permanent part of ASIO's intelligence-gathering powers and other, more comprehensive reforms. The PJCIS has already adopted an inquiry in relation to bill No. 2.

The extension of sunsetting proposed in bill No. 1 would allow the committee to complete an in-depth review of ASIO's compulsory questioning powers that it commenced in the previous parliament, drawing on evidence to that review and inviting new evidence to the bill No. 2 inquiry. The committee looks forward to completing a full inquiry into the existing powers and proposed amendments in bill No. 2 and reporting to parliament in due course. Bill No. 1 has already passed the House with bipartisan support and is now before the Senate. The committee recommends that the bill be passed. I commend the report to the House.