In addition to IGIS oversight of the activities of Australia’s intelligence agencies, there are a number of other controls and checks.
Some 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 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 Australian intelligence and security 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. Intelligence agencies are subject to performance audits, financial statement audits, and assurance reviews by the Auditor-General.
ASIO and ASD publish a public annual report. The activities of DIO and AGO are referred to in the Department of Defence annual report. ONI and ASIS do not produce public annual reports.
Intelligence 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.
Please see our Public Interest Disclosure page.
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.
IGIS can only investigate complaints about visa and citizenship matters in limited circumstances.
Please read all of the information below if you want to make a complaint about a visa or citizenship matter.
What we can do:
IGIS can only investigate complaints about the actions of an Australian intelligence agency.
We will only investigate complaints about visa and citizenship processing delays where:
- an application for citizenship is more than 24 months old,
- an application for a student or research visa is more than 18 months old, or
- an application for any other class of visa is more than 6 months old.
If the visa applicant is detained in an Australian immigration detention facility, we may decide to investigate the complaint sooner.
If you submit a complaint about a visa or citizenship application that does not meet the minimum timeframes, your complaint will be filed but we will take no further action and we will not provide an individual response.
What we cannot do:
IGIS cannot help with:
- complaints about the Department of Home Affairs,
- status updates on visa or citizenship applications,
- allegations of visa fraud, or
- other immigration-related matters that do not involve an Australian intelligence agency.
These matters should be directed to the Department of Home Affairs in the first instance.
If you are not satisfied with the response from the Department of Home Affairs, you may wish to contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
Making a complaint:
If you have a complaint about the actions of an Australian intelligence agency in relation to a visa or citizenship application, you must provide the following details:
- name of the visa/citizenship applicant as shown on their passport
- date of birth of the visa/citizenship applicant
- country of birth of the visa/citizenship applicant
- class of visa
- date of visa/citizenship application (please review the timeframes above before lodging a complaint).
When lodging your complaint with IGIS, provide your name, email address or contact details so we can respond to you.
Please do not submit a complaint to IGIS if:
- your visa or citizenship application does not meet the minimum timeframes above,
- your complaint is about the Department of Home Affairs, or
- you are reporting an allegation of visa or immigration fraud.
If you submit a complaint to IGIS about an application that does not meet the minimum timeframes, or that is about a matter that IGIS cannot help with (see above), we will take no further action and will not provide an individual response.
IGIS does not assess the merits of any particular security assessment and cannot overturn a decision. However IGIS may examine procedural aspects of security assessments made by ASIO. Where the IGIS considers that a processing error may have been made, or that the assessment lacks balance or objectivity, or there are questions as to the legality or propriety of the process, the IGIS may ask the agency to conduct a fresh assessment.
If you believe there has been an error of this nature, or the process has not been objective or fair, you can make a complaint to IGIS.
Who else can review an adverse security assessment?
If you receive an adverse or qualified security assessment from ASIO, in certain circumstances you can apply to the Security Appeals Division of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for a review. This includes security assessments provided for Australian passport applications or cancellations, some employment-related security assessments, and some visa and citizenship applications. Further information is available on the Administrative Appeals Tribunal website.
The Independent Reviewer of Adverse Security Assessments can also conduct a form of merits review of adverse security assessments for people who are in immigration detention and owed protection under international law. Eligible individuals should be provided with information about that review option. Further information is available on the Attorney-General’s Department website.
Yes. All IGIS officers hold and maintain a Positive Vetting security clearance (previously known as a Top Secret Positive Vetting) which is the highest clearance available in Australia. Officers are also required to comply with strict secrecy provisions.
Note: There are many restrictions that apply to conveying certain information other than to IGIS. Unless a secrecy undertaking specifically states a time frame, undertakings of this kind ordinarily have enduring effect (that is, they are binding for life). Even if a secrecy undertaking specifies a time limit, you may also be bound by legal restrictions about conveying official information without authority (Crimes Act 1914), revealing the identity of ASIO or ASIS agency staff, or details of operational activities (under the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 and the Intelligence Services Act 2001).
However, as it is the role of IGIS to take complaints and public interest disclosures about the activities of intelligence agencies, it is not a breach of a secrecy provision or secrecy undertaking to provide information to IGIS. Complaints may be made by members of the public, current or former employees of an intelligence agency or sources or agents.
If you wish to provide classified information to IGIS, you should contact the office to make arrangements to transmit information in a secure manner. For more information, see the Complaints and PIDs pages.
My security clearance was denied – can IGIS review this?
If your security clearance was denied and you wish to appeal the decision, first contact the agency that sponsored your application and request information about the internal review mechanisms and your appeals process.
If you receive an adverse or qualified security assessment from ASIO, in certain circumstances you can apply to the Security Appeals Division of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for a review.
Certain adverse and qualified security assessments that have been made by ASIO can be appealed in the Security Appeals Division of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
In some cases you may have the right to go to the Fair Work Commission.
IGIS does not assess the merits of any particular security clearance assessment and cannot overturn a decision. However, IGIS may examine procedural aspects of security assessments made by ASIO. Where the IGIS considers that a processing error may have been made, or that the assessment lacks balance or objectivity, or there are questions as to the legality or propriety of the process, the IGIS may ask the agency to conduct a fresh assessment.
If you believe there has been an error of this nature, or the process has not been objective or fair, you make be able to make a complaint to IGIS.
My security clearance was suspended or withdrawn – can IGIS intervene?
If your employer is suspending or withdrawing your security clearance, then you should have been provided written notice of this and details of any appeal mechanism should be included in that notice. If you have not received information about any appeals process open to you, you should first request this from your employer.
Depending on the circumstances and your employer, different mechanisms may be open to you. In some cases you may have the right to go to the Fair Work Commission if your employment is terminated.
IGIS does not review decisions relating to security clearances or employment grievances. Where the employer is an intelligence agency, in some circumstances IGIS may review the legality and propriety of the decision-making to ensure the process was procedurally fair and objective.
You should first request information from your employer about any appeal process, and read the advice on making a complaint to IGIS.
No, IGIS cannot assist you to obtain a file from any intelligence agency.
ASIO and other intelligence agencies are exempt agencies under the Freedom of Information Act 1982. This means members of the public are not able to request or obtain access to current intelligence agency records.
Access to past records of intelligence agencies may be subject to release under the Archives Act 1983 after a certain period of time – usually 20 years. Records that have passed that time period are examined by the relevant intelligence agency prior to any public release to determine if there is information which should be exempt on security grounds.
All requests for historical intelligence agency records should be directed to National Archives of Australia.
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 IGIS may be asked to give evidence where that document relates either directly or indirectly to an intelligence agency.
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. IGIS can be requested to give expert evidence to the Information Commissioner and the Administrative Appeal Tribunal (the AAT) on the requested material and the categories of exemption.
IGIS does not become a party to the proceedings and any evidence given by IGIS is independent of the agency claiming the exemption. Sometimes the evidence IGIS provides is classified and the Information Commissioner or the AAT may restrict access to some or all of IGIS evidence.
It is the role of the Information Commissioner or the AAT, not IGIS, to determine whether a document should be released. The role of the IGIS is to provide independent evidence on the categories of exempted matters in order to assist the Information Commissioner or the AAT in making their decision. The Information Commissioner and the AAT are not bound by the opinion of IGIS.
There is a Memorandum of Understanding – PDF 278KB | Docx 44KB between IGIS and the Information Commissioner about the procedures for IGIS giving evidence.