Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

LAW ENFORCEMENT INTEGRITY COMMISSIONER ACT 2006 - SECT 149

             (1)  The Attorney-General may certify that disclosure of:

                     (a)  information about a matter specified in the certificate; or

                     (b)  the contents of a document specified in the certificate;

would be contrary to the public interest on one or more of the grounds set out in subsection (2).

             (2)  The grounds for making a certificate under subsection (1) are that the disclosure would:

                     (a)  prejudice the security, defence or international relations of the Commonwealth; or

                     (b)  involve the disclosure of:

                              (i)  communications between a Minister and a Minister of a State or Territory and would prejudice relations between the Commonwealth Government and the Government of a State or Territory; or

                             (ii)  deliberations or decisions of the Cabinet or of a Committee of the Cabinet; or

                            (iii)  deliberations or advice of the Executive Council; or

                     (c)  prejudice the conduct of an investigation of or inquiry into:

                              (i)  crime or criminal activity; or

                             (ii)  a contravention of a civil penalty provision;

                            that is currently being pursued; or

                     (d)  prejudice the fair trial of any person or the impartial adjudication of a matter; or

                     (e)  reveal, or enable a person to ascertain, the existence or identity of a confidential source of information in relation to the enforcement of:

                              (i)  the criminal law of the Commonwealth, a State or Territory or a foreign country; or

                             (ii)  a civil penalty provision; or

                      (f)  prejudice the effectiveness of the operational methods, or investigative practices or techniques, of agencies responsible for the enforcement of:

                              (i)  the criminal law of the Commonwealth, a State or Territory or a foreign country; or

                             (ii)  a civil penalty provision; or

                     (g)  prejudice the proper performance of the functions of the ACC; or

                     (h)  endanger a person's life or physical safety.

             (3)  The certificate must specify the kind of disclosure that would be contrary to the public interest.

             (4)  Without limiting subsection (3), the kind of disclosure that may be specified in the certificate includes:

                     (a)  disclosure generally; or

                     (b)  disclosure to a specified person or group of persons; or

                     (c)  disclosure otherwise than to a specified person or group of persons.

             (5)  Without limiting subsection (1), a certificate under that subsection may provide that the disclosure of information about the existence or non-existence of:

                     (a)  information about a specified matter; or

                     (b)  a document or thing;

would be contrary to the public interest because it would:

                     (c)  prejudice the security, defence or international relations of the Commonwealth; or

                     (d)  prejudice the proper performance of the functions of the ACC.

             (6)  The Attorney-General must give a copy of the certificate to:

                     (a)  the Integrity Commissioner; and

                     (b)  either:

                              (i)  if the information or the document referred to in subsection (1) is in the possession of a law enforcement agency--the head of the law enforcement agency; or

                             (ii)  if the information or the document referred to in subsection (1) is in the possession of a person--the person.