Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2025

The majority voted in favour of a motion to agree with the main idea of the bill. In parliamentary jargon, they voted to give it a second reading.

What is the bill's main idea?

According to the bills digest, which is a document prepared by the parliamentary library:

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Bill (No. 1) 2025 (ASIO Amendment Bill (No. 1)) amends the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 (ASIO Act) to extend the current sunsetting date of Division 3 (compulsory questioning powers) of Part III (referred to throughout the Digest as ‘Division 3’) for 18 months.

The sole Schedule in the ASIO Amendment Bill (No. 1) contains one item (Item 1) which extends the operation of Division 3 by 18 months, until 7 March 2027.

The extension of the sunsetting provision for Division 3 contained in the ASIO Amendment Bill (No. 1) provides ASIO with continued access to the compulsory questioning powers ‘while appropriate reforms to the framework are developed and progressed through Parliament’ (Explanatory Memorandum, p. 2). More comprehensive reforms to Division 3 are contained in ASIO Amendment Bill (No. 2).