The Attorney-General's Guidelines

ASIO falls within the Attorney-General's portfolio.

We keep the Attorney-General informed of all our operations, investigations and other matters relevant to our functions through written submissions, the presentation of special powers warrant requests, and oral briefings as required.

Under section 8A(1)(a) of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 (the ASIO Act), the Attorney-General may give the Director-General of Security written guidelines to be observed by ASIO in the performance of its functions.

The Guidelines published on our website do not broaden our powers beyond what the ASIO Act allows. The Attorney-General's Guidelines:

• set out the Attorney-General's expectations of ASIO in the collection and handling of personal information;
• provide guidance on when information obtained in an investigation is relevant to security;
• clarify when we can communicate information we have in our possession, which, although not relevant to its security function, should nevertheless be communicated because there are public interest reasons for communicating the information;
• set out relevant principles that govern ASIO's work;
• clarify ASIO's use of new and advanced analytical and investigative methodologies; and
• incorporate the current definition of politically motivated violence and provide additional guidance relating to the investigation of violent protest activities relating to threats to various specified persons.

Read the Attorney General's Guidelines.