{"id":"F2025L01141","name":"Australian Border Force (Secrecy and Disclosure) Rule 2025","slug":"australian-border-force-secrecy-and-disclosure-rule-2025","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":442978,"registerId":"F2025L01141-fast-fetch-1775957896480","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Australian Border Force (Secrecy and Disclosure) Rule 2025","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nLIN 25/053\n\n \n\nAustralian Border Force (Secrecy and Disclosure) Rule 2025\n\nI, Tony Burke, Minister for Home Affairs, make the following instrument.\n\nDated  18 September 2025\n\n \n\nTony Burke\n\nMinister for Home Affairs\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1  Name\n\n2  Commencement\n\n3  Authority\n\n4  Bodies and persons\n\n5  Permitted purposes\n\n6  Schedules\n\nSchedule 1—Permitted bodies and persons\n\n1  List of prescribed bodies and persons\n\nSchedule 2—Permitted purposes\n\n1  List of prescribed permitted purposes\n\nSchedule 3—Repeals\n\nAustralian Border Force (Secrecy and Disclosure) Rule 2015\n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Australian Border Force (Secrecy and Disclosure) Rule 2025.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n  This instrument commences on the day after registration.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under subsection 58(1) of the Australian Border Force Act 2015.\n\n4  Bodies and persons\n\n  For the purposes of paragraph 44(4)(f) of the Act, the bodies and persons mentioned in Schedule 1 are prescribed.\n\n5  Permitted purposes\n\n  For the purposes of paragraph 46(o) of the Act, the purposes mentioned in Schedule 2 are prescribed.\n\n6  Schedules\n\n  Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.\n\n\n\n\nSchedule 1—Permitted bodies and persons\n\nNote: See section 4.\n\n1  List of prescribed bodies and persons\n\n  A permitted body or person mentioned in the following table is prescribed for the purposes of this instrument.\n\n \n\n| Item | Permitted bodies and persons |\n| --- | --- |\n| 1 | Australian Red Cross Society. |\n| 2 | Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Australia. |\n| 3 | Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals New South Wales. |\n| 4 | Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Victoria. |\n| 5 | Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Queensland. |\n| 6 | Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Western Australia. |\n| 7 | Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals South Australia. |\n| 8 | Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Tasmania. |\n| 9 | Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Australian Capital Territory. |\n| 10 | Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Darwin Regional Branch. |\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\nSchedule 2—Permitted purposes\n\nNote: See section 5.\n\n1  List of prescribed permitted purposes\n\n  A purpose mentioned in the following table is prescribed for the purposes of this instrument.\n\n \n\n| Item | Permitted bodies and persons |\n| --- | --- |\n| 1 | A purpose relating to assisting in the detection or identification of persons who may pose a possible risk to Australia or a foreign country. |\n| 2 | A purpose relating to the investigation or assisting in the investigation of a potential misconduct or a potential integrity issue. |\n| 3 | A purpose relating to matters covered by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission Act 1985. |\n| 4 | A purpose relating to international trade and supply chain regulation and relating to the mapping and understanding of risks to supply chains that are critical to the national interest. |\n| 5 | A purpose relating to matters covered under the Export Control Act 2020, Illegal Logging Prohibition Act 2012, and Imported Food Control Act 1992. |\n| 6 | A purpose relating to matters covered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989, Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989, Product Emissions Standards Act 2017 and Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020. |\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\nSchedule 3—Repeals\n\nAustralian Border Force (Secrecy and Disclosure) Rule 2015\n\n1  The whole of the instrument\n\nRepeal the instrument.\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument maintains the same narrow scope as its predecessor. It is purely administrative machinery that prescribes specific bodies and purposes for information disclosure under the parent Act. The 2025 version updates the list of organisations (notably adding multiple RSPCA branches and the Red Cross) and refines the permitted purposes, but does not expand the legislative framework beyond the original intent of creating targeted exceptions to ABF secrecy provisions."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument (approximately 1,000 words)","Only 6 operative sections plus 3 short schedules","No defined terms section—relies on definitions in the parent Act (Australian Border Force Act 2015)","Simple tabular format for permitted bodies and purposes","No nested exceptions or conditional logic—just straightforward lists","Single cross-reference to parent Act provisions (sections 44 and 46)","Mechanical repeal and replacement of previous instrument with no transitional provisions"],"plain_english_summary":"This rule updates who the Australian Border Force can legally share protected information with—specifically authorising the Australian Red Cross and state/territory RSPCA branches to receive ABF data for listed public-interest purposes—and replaces the 2015 instrument.  \n\nIt affects ABF officers, the named organisations, and people/businesses under ABF oversight by creating narrow exceptions to secrecy to enable cooperation on matters like humanitarian aid, animal welfare, supply‑chain and regulatory protections."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Yes. Schedule 3 repeals the Australian Border Force (Secrecy and Disclosure) Rule 2015 and the instrument replaces it by prescribing a new, specific list of external bodies (Schedule 1) and a set of authorised disclosure purposes (Schedule 2). Mechanically this changes who the ABF may disclose protected information to and the stated lawful purposes for disclosure (see ss 4–6 and Schedules 1–3)."},"complexity_factors":["Form-based, short instrument that mainly lists prescribed bodies (Schedule 1) and permitted purposes (Schedule 2)","Cross-references to the Australian Border Force Act 2015 (paragraphs 44(4)(f) and 46(o)) create dependence on statutory context","Permitted purposes reference multiple external Acts (e.g. Export Control Act 2020, EPBC Act 1999) broadening legal interactions","Repeal of the 2015 Rule (Schedule 3) changes prior regulatory landscape and requires comparison to prior text to assess net change","Some phrasing in permitted purposes (e.g. 'assist in the detection or identification of persons who may pose a possible risk') is open-ended and may create interpretive discretion","Commencement on day after registration (s 2) gives immediate legal effect with no transitional provisions"],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument specifies which external organisations may receive protected Australian Border Force (ABF) information and the authorised reasons for those disclosures. It lists specific charities and animal‑welfare societies as permitted recipients and sets out permitted purposes such as risk detection, investigations, trade/supply‑chain matters and certain environmental and export controls. The instrument also repeals the 2015 Rule. It matters because it defines who the ABF may share information with and for what concrete regulatory objectives."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/australian-border-force-secrecy-and-disclosure-rule-2025","history":"/api/acts/australian-border-force-secrecy-and-disclosure-rule-2025/history","analysis":"/api/acts/australian-border-force-secrecy-and-disclosure-rule-2025/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/australian-border-force-secrecy-and-disclosure-rule-2025/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/australian-border-force-secrecy-and-disclosure-rule-2025/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/australian-border-force-secrecy-and-disclosure-rule-2025/documents"}}