{"id":"C2004L01745","name":"Audit (Exempt Accounts) Regulations","slug":"audit-exempt-accounts-regulations","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"repealed","isInForce":false,"actNumber":"67 of 1979","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":25489,"registerId":"commonwealth-C2004L01745-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"Repealed","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Audit (Exempt Accounts) Regulations","content":"![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\nStatutory Rules\n\n1979 No. 67\n\nREGULATIONS UNDER THE AUDIT ACT 1901\\*\n\nI, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL of the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulations under the Audit Act 1901.\n\nDated this twenty-first day of April 1979.\n\nZELMAN COWEN\n\nGovernor-General\n\nBy His Excellency’s Command,\n\n(Sgd JOHN HOWARD)\n\nTreasurer for and on behalf of the Minister of State for Finance\n\nAUDIT (EXEMPT ACCOUNTS) REGULATIONS\n\nCitation\n\n1. These Regulations may be cited as the Audit (Exempt Citation Accounts) Regulations.\n\nInterpretation\n\n2. In these Regulations, “ the Act ” means the Audit Act 1901.\n\nPrescribed organizations under section 70d\n\n3. For the purposes of section 70d of the Act—\n\n(a) the Australian Security Intelligence Organization; and\n\n(b) the Australian Secret Intelligence Service,\n\nare declared to be prescribed organizations.\n\nResponsible Minister in respect of prescribed organization\n\n4. The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs is declared to be the responsible Minister in respect of the prescribed organization referred to in paragraph 3 (b).\n\nPrescribed Department under section 70d\n\n5. The Department of Business and Consumer Affairs is declared to be a prescribed Department for the purposes of section 70d of the Act.\n\n\\* Notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 27 April 1979.\n\nPrinted by Authority by the Commonwealth Government Printer\n\n11716/79 Cat. No. —Recommended retail price 20c 11/18.4.1979","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"_metrics":{"model":"kimi-k2.5","source":"moonshot-batch","completionTokens":1945},"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is the original 1979 instrument establishing the scope. It sets the baseline by initially prescribing ASIO, ASIS and the Department of Business and Consumer Affairs as eligible for audit exemptions. The scope remains limited to identifying which bodies can access the exemption mechanism in section 70d of the Audit Act."},"complexity_factors":["Only 5 short provisions total","Single defined term ('the Act')","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions","No external cross-references beyond the parent Act","Declarative structure with straightforward naming of agencies"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this does:**\nThese regulations list which government bodies can keep their financial accounts secret from the regular government auditor for national security reasons.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n* **ASIO** (Australian Security Intelligence Organisation) — the domestic spy agency\n* **ASIS** (Australian Secret Intelligence Service) — the foreign intelligence agency\n* **Department of Business and Consumer Affairs** — a government department (now abolished)\n\n**How it works:**\nUnder the *Audit Act 1901*, certain \"prescribed\" (officially listed) organisations can apply for their accounts to be exempt from standard auditing requirements if they involve sensitive matters like national security. These regulations officially add the two intelligence agencies and the Department to that list.\n\n**Key detail:**\nFor ASIS, the regulations specifically name the **Minister for Foreign Affairs** as the responsible minister who oversees these exempt accounts."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/audit-exempt-accounts-regulations","history":"/api/acts/audit-exempt-accounts-regulations/history","analysis":"/api/acts/audit-exempt-accounts-regulations/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/audit-exempt-accounts-regulations/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/audit-exempt-accounts-regulations/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/audit-exempt-accounts-regulations/documents"}}