KEY POINTS

Mr Bill Blick PSM completed six years as Inspector-General. Mr Ian Carnell was appointed from 23 March 2004.
Attendance by the Inspector-General or his staff at ASIO terrorism-related questioning sessions (under warrants issued in accordance with section 34D of the ASIO Act 1979) has provided assurance that the proceedings to date have been professional and not oppressive.
Monitoring further ASIO questioning warrants, and use by ASIS of its new capacity to use weapons for self-defence outside of Australia, will be important activities in the coming period.
The inspection program of the office (which generally involves visiting the agencies and inspecting various categories of operational approvals, records and systems) has been reviewed and enhanced. It is expected to expand further.
DSD and ASIS compliance with the privacy rules made under the Intelligence Services Act 2001 has been sound.
Inquiries completed have included a number resulting from the execution of ASIO search warrants - in most cases ASIO was found to have acted properly, but compensation was paid in one case and is being considered in another.
An unclassified version of Mr Blick's report into issues raised by Lt Col Lance Collins was released by the Prime Minister in April 2004, and is an annex to this report.
There were a number of complaints about recruitment and selection (particularly security checking) although in relative terms the number is very low compared to the very significant recruitment being done by the agencies. There were no complaints of this type relating to ASIO.
Legislation to implement the recommendations of the review by Mr Philip Flood AO into Australia's intelligence agencies would provide a greater role for the Inspector-General and his office in relation to ONA and DIO, particularly in providing assurance that there is no infringement on the independence of assessments.
Despite the pressures on agencies, no slackening was observed in the agencies' adherence to legality, propriety and respect for human rights.

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