Defence Signals Directorate

Monitoring Activities

97. DSD's adherence to the Rules relating to signals intelligence and Australian persons and companies continues to maintain the high standards of past years.

98. This year there were only eight breaches detected, which is an extremely small proportion of the volume of material handled. None of the breaches was of a substantive nature and in all cases the agency withdrew the original reports upon detection of the errors and replaced them with modified reports which conformed with the current Rules.

99. I have suggested to the Director that there would be value in the Ministerial Rules being reviewed. He agreed, and in the course of the next financial year I propose to make some suggestions on how the current Rules could be improved. The Minister's agreement will be sought when the modifications have been developed.

100. During the year my Office, at the initiative of the Director, observed certain testing activities conducted by the Agency. The presence of my Office on these occasions is of value in confirming that DSD conducts these development activities strictly in accordance with approved arrangements.

Complaints about DSD

101. Like ASIS, DSD was not the subject of any complaints lodged with my Office during the year.