Footnotes

Chapter 1 - Introduction

[1]        Explanatory Memorandum (EM), p. 1.

[2]        Attorney-General's Department, Submission 15, p. 5.

[3]        EM, p. 1. AusCheck will be responsible for notifying the relevant issuing body of the outcome of a background check and will provide a recommendation to the issuing body on an applicant's eligibility. Lists of ASIC and MSIC issuing bodies can be found on the Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS) website at  http://www.dotars.gov.au/transport/security/aviation/airports.aspx; http://www.dotars.gov.au/transport/security/aviation/operators.aspx; and http://www.dotars.gov.au/transport/security/maritime/msic_issuing_body.aspx (accessed 13 February 2007). Until AusCheck commences operations, the assessment of an application for an ASIC or a MSIC will be conducted by DOTARS.

[4]        EM, p. 2. An ASIC is required if a person needs to work in an airside area or a landside security zone at a security-controlled airport that has regular public transport services; an ASIC is valid for two years. A MSIC is required if a person needs to work unescorted or unmonitored in a maritime security zone; a MSIC is valid for five years. An ASIC or MSIC indicates that the holder has been background-checked and that the check revealed that they are of suitable character to be in a secure area. See further Attorney-General's Department, Draft AusCheck Cost Recovery Impact Statement, p. 5 at http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/rwpattach.nsf/VAP/(4341200FE1255EFC59DB7A1770C1D0A5)~auscheck-cris.pdf/$file/auscheck-cris.pdf (accessed 13 February 2007).

[5]        The Rt Hon Sir John Wheeler DL, An Independent Review of Airport Security and Policing for the Government of Australia, September 2005 at http://www.aspr.gov.au/docs/Security_and_Policing_Review_PUBLIC.pdf (accessed 13 February 2007).

[6]        p. 2.

[7]        p. 2.

[8]        p. 2.

[9]        The Hon Mr Philip Ruddock MP, Attorney-General, House of Representatives Hansard, 7 December 2006, p. 12.

Chapter 2 - Overview of the Bill

[1]        p. 3.

[2]        p. 3.

[3]        Submission 15C, p. 3.

[4]        Submission 15, p. 6.

[5]        Submission 15, pp 6-7.

[6]        Submission 15, p. 7.

[7]        p. 5.

[8]        p. 5.

[9]        p. 5.

[10]      House of Representatives Hansard, 8 February 2007, p. 28. The Department advised the committee that an officer from AusCheck has spoken to officers from the Department of Health and Ageing (DHA) regarding the announcement by DHA of the planned introduction of a background checking scheme for aged care workers: Submission 15A, p. 4.

[11]      Submission 15A, p. 4.

[12]      p. 5.

[13]      Submission 15, p. 7.

[14]      House of Representatives Hansard, 8 February 2007, p. 28.

[15]      p. 6. These regulations are the Aviation Transport Security Regulations 2005 and the Maritime Transport and Offshore Facilities Security Regulations 2003.

[16]      p. 7.

[17]      p. 7.

[18]      Submission 15, p. 9.

[19]      p. 7.

[20]      p. 8.

[21]      p. 8.

[22]      p. 9.

[23]      p. 10.

[24]      p. 10.

[25]      Decisions regarding ASICs and MSICs are already appellable to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) under the relevant existing regulations; adverse or qualified ASIO security assessments may also be appealed under the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979. See further, Department of Parliamentary Services, AusCheck Bill 2006, Bills Digest No 80, 2006-07, pp 6-7.

Chapter 3 - Key issues

[1]        See, for example, Regional Aviation Association of Australia, Submission 1; Association of Australian Ports & Marine Authorities, Submission 2; Melbourne Airport, Submission 4; Law Council of Australia, Submission 6; Australian Council of Trade Unions, Submission 9; Shipping Australia Limited, Submission 11; Office of the Privacy Commissioner, Submission 12; Victoria Police, Submission 14; Australian & International Pilots Association, Submission 17; NSW Cabinet Office, Submission 19; Tasmanian Department of Police and Emergency Management, Submission 20; Sydney Airport, Submission 21. However, the committee notes that the NSW Cabinet Office expressed its opposition to the Bill's wide application, arguing that 'the most extensive and rigorous background checking is justifiable where there are terrorist or security concerns, but the Commonwealth Government has made no case for such checking in other circumstances': Submission 19, p. 2. On the other hand, Qantas argued that the Bill does not go far enough in a number of areas and suggested that the Bill be amended to: provide for live monitoring of criminal records; include criminal intelligence as part of the decision-making process and as part of the definition of 'background check'; allow for single ongoing consents from ASIC applicants; permit issuing bodies to request and pay for partial background checks; and place service level obligations on AusCheck: Submission 16, p. 4.

[2]        See, for example, Law Council of Australia, Submission 6; NSW Council for Civil Liberties, Submission 8; Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union, Submission 10; Australian & International Pilots Association, Submission 17.

[3]        Submission 17, p. 2.

[4]        Submission 9, p. 2.

[5]        Submission 9, p. 3.

[6]        Submission 9, pp 2-3.

[7]        Submission 8, p. 1.

[8]        Submission 6, p. 3.

[9]        Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 2.

[10]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 3.

[11]      Submission 12, p. 3.

[12]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, pp 9 & 10.

[13]      Submission 6, p. 6.

[14]      Submission 5, p. 3.

[15]      See, for example, Law Council of Australia, Submission 6; Liberty Victoria, Submission 7; Australian Council of Trade Unions, Submission 9; Australian & International Pilots Association, Submission 17.

[16]      Submission 6, p. 6.

[17]      Submission 6, p. 6.

[18]      Submission 15, p. 11.

[19]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 17.

[20]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 17.

[21]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, pp 17-18. However, the representative informed the committee that she was 'not aware of any proposal for the access card registration procedure to involve any element of background checking': Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 18.

[22]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 21.

[23]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 23.

[24]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 23.

[25]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, pp 22 & 23.

[26]      Submission 15B, p. 2.

[27]      Submission 15B, p. 3.

[28]      Submission 15B, p. 4.

[29]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 23.

[30]      Submission 15B, p. 4.

[31]      Submission 15B, p. 4.

[32]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 16.

[33]      Submission 5, p. 3.

[34]      Submission 12, p. 4.

[35]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 9.

[36]      Submission 12, p. 4.

[37]      Submission 12A, p. 1.

[38]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 7.

[39]      Submission 5, p. 3.

[40]      Submission 5, p. 3.

[41]      Submission 7, p. 2.

[42]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 11.

[43]      Submission 12A, p. 3.

[44]      Submission 7, p. 2; Submission 6, p. 11.

[45]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 21.

[46]      Submission 15B, pp 8-9.

[47]      See, for example, Association of Australian Ports & Marine Authorities, Submission 2, p. 2; Law Council of Australia, Submission 6, p. 11; Office of the Privacy Commissioner, Submission 12, p. 5.

[48]      Submission 5, p. 3.

[49]      Submission 5, p. 3.

[50]      Submission 6, p. 11.

[51]      Submission 14, p. 1; Submission 18, p. 1.

[52]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 2.

[53]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 9.

[54]      Submission 6, p. 11.

[55]      Submission 6, p. 11.

[56]      Submission 10, pp 6-7.

[57]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 19.

[58]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 19.

[59]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 19.

[60]      Submission 15, p. 10.

[61]      Submission 15A, p. 8.

[62]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 20.

[63]      Submission 15B, p. 5. Examples given included section 7A of the Australian Crime Commission Act 2002, section 50 of the Australian Passports Act 2005, and section 503B of the Migration Act 1958.

[64]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 20.

[65]      Submission 15B, p. 7.

[66]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 19.

[67]      Submission 15B, p. 10.

[68]      Association of Australian Ports & Marine Authorities, Submission 2; Australian Privacy Foundation, Submission 5; Law Council of Australia, Submission 6; Office of the Privacy Commissioner, Submission 12.

[69]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 9.

[70]      Submission 6, p. 3.

[71]      Submission 5, p. 1.

[72]      Submission 2, p. 3.

[73]      Submission 6, p. 8.

[74]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 2.

[75]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 2.

[76]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 5.

[77]      Submission 6, p. 10.

[78]      Submission 15B, p. 12.

[79]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 21.

[80]      Submission 15B, p. 6.

[81]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 21.

[82]      Submission 15B, p. 6.

[83]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 22.

[84]      See, for example, Regional Aviation Association of Australia, Submission 1, p. 2; Shipping Australia Limited, Submission 11, p. 2; Sydney Airport, Submission 21, p. 1.

[85]      Submission 4, p. 2.

[86]      Submission 10, p. 6.

[87]      Submission 16, p. 5.

[88]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 21.

[89]      Submission 13A, p. 1.

[90]      Submission 13A, p. 1.

[91]      See further Attorney-General's Department, Draft AusCheck Cost Recovery Impact Statement, at http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/rwpattach.nsf/VAP/(4341200FE1255EFC59DB7A1770C1D0A5)~auscheck-cris.pdf/$file/auscheck-cris.pdf (accessed 13 February 2007).

[92]      Submission 15B, p. 11.

[93]      Submission 15B, p. 12.

[94]      Submission 3, p. 6.

[95]      Submission 16, p. 4.

[96]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 14.

[97]      Submission 13A, p. 1.

[98]      Committee Hansard, 1 March 2007, p. 21.

[99]      Submission 15B, p. 6.