In addition to IGIS oversight of the activities of the agencies that make up the National Intelligence Community (NIC), there are a number of other controls and checks.
Some NIC agencies have significant powers set out in legislation. The most significant or potentially intrusive of these powers require a warrant from the Attorney-General or specific ministerial authorisation. This ensures ministerial oversight of these activities. IGIS must also be notified when some of these powers are used and there is public reporting by the NIC agencies required on the frequency of use of some of these powers. Specific provisions are set out in the relevant legislation.
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) reviews the administration and expenditure of the NIC agencies including their financial statements. It may review other matters referred to it, and has oversight over certain intelligence functions, such as those relating to retained data and counter-terrorism, in certain circumstances. Legislative proposals relating to national security are customarily referred to PJCIS for review of their operation which includes consideration of the adequacy of oversight provisions. The scope of oversight by the Committee is primarily set out in the Intelligence Services Act 2001.
The Australian National Audit Office provides the Parliament with independent assessment and assurance about public sector financial reporting, administration, and accountability. NIC agencies are subject to performance audits, financial statement audits, and assurance reviews by the Auditor-General.
Some NIC agencies are also open to portfolio scrutiny through Senate Estimates committees on their budget allocations and issues relevant to their functions.
Please see our Complaints page – information is provided on what types of complaints we manage and how we manage complaints.
Please see our Public Interest Disclosure page – information is provided on PIDs, our responsibilities under the PID scheme and how to make a PID.
If you wish to report suspicious activity, contact the National Security Hotline:
Phone: 1800 123 400
From outside Australia: (+61) 1300 1234 01
Email: hotline@nationalsecurity.gov.au
SMS: 0498 562 549
TTY: 1800 234889
The National Security Hotline passes the information to the appropriate Australian police and security agencies for analysis and investigation.
Find out more on the National Security website.
No, IGIS cannot assist you to obtain a file from any NIC agency.
If you have applied for access to a document under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 or the Archives Act 1983 and the relevant Commonwealth agency is claiming an exemption under section 33 of the FOI Act or Archives Act, respectively, then the Inspector-General may be asked to give evidence.
Exemptions under section 33 relate to damage to the security, defence or international relations of the Commonwealth and to the disclosure of information communicated in confidence by a foreign government. The Inspector-General can be requested to give expert evidence to the Information Commissioner and the Administrative Review Tribunal (the ART) on the requested material and the categories of exemption.
The Inspector-General does not become a party to the proceedings and any evidence given is independent of the agency claiming the exemption. Sometimes the evidence the Inspector-General provides is classified and the Information Commissioner or the ART may restrict access to some or all of their evidence.
It is the role of the Information Commissioner or the ART to determine whether a document should be released. The role of the Inspector-General is to provide independent evidence on the categories of exempted matters in order to assist the Information Commissioner or the ART in making their decision. The Information Commissioner and the ART are not bound by the opinion of the Inspector-General.
There is a Memorandum of Understanding – PDF 278KB | Docx 44KB between IGIS and the Information Commissioner about the procedures for IGIS giving evidence.