{"id":"F2025L01112","name":"Australian Citizenship (Authorisation) Instrument 2025","slug":"australian-citizenship-authorisation-instrument-2025","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":442967,"registerId":"F2025L01112-fast-fetch-1775957884438","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Australian Citizenship (Authorisation) Instrument 2025","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nLIN 25/088\n\n \n\nAustralian Citizenship (Authorisation) Instrument 2025\n\nI, Julian Hill, Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs, make the following instrument.\n\nDated  15 September 2025\n\nJulian Hill\n\nAssistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \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  Definitions\n\n5  Schedules\n\n6  Authorisation—requesting personal identifiers\n\n7  Authorisation—accessing identifying information\n\nSchedule 1—Repeals\n\nAustralian Citizenship Act 2007 – Instrument of Authorisation (Subsections 40(3), 40(4), 42(3) and 42(4)) 2015 – IMMI 15/063\n\n \n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Australian Citizenship (Authorisation) Instrument 2025.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n  This instrument commences on the day after registration.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under subsections 40(3), 40(4), 42(3) and 42(4) of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007.\n\n4  Definitions\n\nNote: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in section 3 of the Act, including the following:\n\n(a) entrusted person;\n\n(b) identifying information;\n\n(c) personal identifier.\n\n  In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Australian Citizenship Act 2007.\n\n5  Schedules\n\n  Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.\n\n6  Authorisation—requesting personal identifiers\n\n (1) Under subsection 40(3) of the Act, a person who is an entrusted person is authorised for the purposes of paragraph 40(1)(d) of the Act.\n\n (2) Under subsection 40(4) of the Act, a person who is an entrusted person is a class of persons authorised for the purposes of paragraph 40(1)(e) of the Act.\n\n7  Authorisation—accessing identifying information\n\n1.   For the purposes of subsection 42(3) of the Act, a person who is an entrusted person is authorised to access identifying information of any kind for any one or more of the purposes specified in subsection (2).\n\n\n (2) For the purposes of subsection 42(4) of the Act, the following purposes are specified:\n\n (a) where obtaining the identifier is necessary for either or both of the following purposes:\n\n (i) assisting in the identification of, and to authenticate the identity of, a person making an application under Part 2 of the Act or seeking to sit a test approved in a determination under section 23A of the Act; or\n\n (ii)  combating document and identity fraud in citizenship matters;\n\n (b) disclosing identifying information in accordance with Division 5 in Part 2 of the Act;\n\n (c) administering or managing the storage of identifying information;\n\n (d) making identifying information available to the person to whom it relates;\n\n (e) modifying identifying information to enable it to be matched with other identifying information;\n\n (f) modifying identifying information in order to correct errors or ensure compliance with appropriate standards;\n\n (g) the purposes of the Act or of the Migration Act 1958 or the regulations made under those Acts;\n\n (h) complying with Australian laws.\n\n\n\n\nSchedule 1—Repeals\n\nAustralian Citizenship Act 2007 – Instrument of Authorisation (Subsections 40(3), 40(4), 42(3) and 42(4)) 2015 – IMMI 15/063\n\n1  The whole of the instrument\n\nRepeal the instrument.\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This instrument repeals the earlier Instrument of Authorisation IMMI 15/063 in full (Schedule 1) and re-states the authorisations for entrusted persons under subsections 40(3), 40(4), 42(3) and 42(4) of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (sections 3, 6 and 7). The instrument therefore replaces the prior authorisation instrument as the operative source of these permissions. The instrument itself does not contain the earlier instrument’s text, so a comparison of whether the new instrument broadens or narrows specific operational powers relative to the 2015 instrument cannot be completed from this instrument alone."},"complexity_factors":["Short, targeted instrument focused on authorisations rather than procedure or enforcement","Relies on statutory definitions and framework in the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (references to ‘entrusted person’, ‘personal identifier’, ‘identifying information’) rather than redefining terms (section 4 note; section 3 authority)","Broad wording for access (‘identifying information of any kind’) creates wide practical scope (section 7(1))","Multiple purposive permissions listed, some overlapping (section 7(2)(a)–(h))","Repeal of prior instrument (IMMI 15/063) is wholesale, shifting legal source of authorisation without including the prior instrument’s text (Schedule 1)","Absence of procedural detail, safeguards, or enforcement measures in the instrument increases need to consult the Act and administrative practice for operational clarity"],"plain_english_summary":"What this instrument does, in plain language\n\n- Mechanically, the Australian Citizenship (Authorisation) Instrument 2025 does four things:\n  - It comes into force the day after it is registered (section 2).\n  - It is made under specific subsections of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (section 3).\n  - It authorises people described in the Act as “entrusted persons” to request personal identifiers (section 6) and to access identifying information “of any kind” for a list of specified purposes (section 7(1)–(2)).\n  - It repeals the earlier 2015 instrument that previously dealt with the same authorisations (Schedule 1).\n\nWho is affected\n\n- Entrusted persons (a term defined in the Australian Citizenship Act 2007) are the actors given the authorisations (sections 6 and 7(1)).\n- People whose identifying information could be requested or accessed are affected in that their personal identifiers or other identifying information may be obtained, disclosed, modified, stored or made available under the purposes set out in section 7(2). Examples named in the instrument include people applying for citizenship under Part 2 of the Act and people seeking to sit an approved citizenship test (section 7(2)(a)(i)).\n\nWhy this matters (what the instrument authoritatively says it is for)\n\n- The instrument explicitly lists the permitted purposes for accessing and using identifying information (section 7(2)). Those purposes include: assisting identification and authenticating identity for citizenship applications or test candidates, combating document and identity fraud in citizenship matters, disclosures under Division 5 of Part 2 of the Act, administering or managing storage of identifying information, making identifying information available to the person it relates to, modifying identifying information to enable matching or to correct errors or meet standards, carrying out the purposes of the Australian Citizenship Act or the Migration Act 1958 (or their regulations), and complying with Australian laws (section 7(2)(a)–(h)).\n\nOfficial-purpose claims vs. what the instrument actually does (tests and practical pointers)\n\n- Scope of authorisation: The instrument authorises entrusted persons to request personal identifiers (section 6) and to access identifying information “of any kind” for the listed purposes (section 7(1)). That is a broad, purpose-bound authorisation written into the instrument itself.\n\n- Limits and constraints: The instrument specifies permitted purposes (section 7(2)), which function as the legal limits on access under the Australian Citizenship Act subsections cited (section 3). The instrument does not itself set procedural safeguards, oversight, retention periods, or reporting requirements; it does not prescribe operational rules for how entrusted persons should obtain, store, or disclose information beyond listing the permitted purposes (compare section 7(2) against the silence on procedural detail).\n\n- Discretion and decision-making: The instrument names who is authorised (entrusted persons) but does not define how those persons must exercise their discretion. The Act contains the definitions and statutory framework that anchor the instrument; this instrument confers the authorisations within that framework (section 3; sections 6–7).\n\n- Data handling operations authorised: The instrument expressly permits managing storage, making information available to the person concerned, modifying information to enable matching, and correcting errors (section 7(2)(c)–(f)). Those are affirmative data-handling powers built into the authorised purposes.\n\n- Interaction with other law: The instrument expressly allows uses that further the purposes of the Australian Citizenship Act or the Migration Act 1958 and generally requires compliance with Australian laws (section 7(2)(g)–(h)).\n\nPractical implementation notes grounded in the instrument text\n\n- Timing: the instrument takes effect the day after registration (section 2).\n- Repeal: it repeals the earlier IMMI 15/063 instrument in full (Schedule 1). The instrument therefore replaces the prior instrument as the express authorisation for the subsections cited.\n- Financial or enforcement details: the instrument does not set fees, penalties, contractual obligations on third parties, or enforcement mechanisms; it is limited to authorising particular classes of action and listing permitted purposes (the text is silent on cost allocation and operational rules).\n\nBottom line (mechanical description, not policy verdict)\n\n- This instrument gives people defined in the Citizenship Act as entrusted persons the formal authority to request personal identifiers and to access, disclose, modify, store and provide identifying information for a defined set of purposes (sections 6 and 7). It replaces the 2015 authorisation instrument (Schedule 1) and takes effect the day after registration (section 2). The instrument specifies permitted purposes but is silent on procedural safeguards, timelines, fees or oversight mechanisms; those matters are left to the Act or to other instruments or operational rules."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument maintains the same scope as its predecessor (IMMI 15/063). It continues to authorise the same activities (requesting personal identifiers and accessing identifying information) under the same sections of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007. The purposes listed in section 7 largely mirror the previous instrument's intent, covering identity verification, fraud prevention, and administrative functions. This appears to be a routine re-enactment/update rather than an expansion of scope."},"complexity_factors":["Short instrument (approximately 2 pages of substantive content)","Only 1 defined term ('Act') in the instrument itself; relies on definitions in the parent Act","Simple structure: name, commencement, authority, definitions, schedules, and two operative sections (6 and 7)","Section 7 contains a nested list of 8 specific purposes (paragraphs a-h), with paragraph (a) containing sub-paragraphs (i) and (ii)","Cross-references to the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 and Migration Act 1958, but no complex conditional logic or exceptions","Single repeal in Schedule 1 — straightforward sunsetting of previous instrument"],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument authorises certain government officials (called 'entrusted persons') to collect and access personal biometric and identity information for citizenship purposes.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Authorises collection**: Allows entrusted persons to request 'personal identifiers' (biometric data like fingerprints, photos, or signatures) from people applying for Australian citizenship or taking citizenship tests.\n- **Authorises access**: Allows these officials to access 'identifying information' (stored identity data) for specific purposes.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- People applying for Australian citizenship\n- People sitting Australian citizenship tests\n- Government officials who handle citizenship applications (entrusted persons)\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis is the legal authority that lets the government collect your fingerprints, photos, and other biometric data when you apply for citizenship. It also sets strict limits on what they can use that data for — including verifying your identity, preventing fraud, administering the citizenship program, sharing data as permitted by law, and complying with other Australian laws.\n\n**Key change:**\nThis instrument replaces and repeals the 2015 version (IMMI 15/063), updating the legal framework for how identity data is handled in the citizenship system."},"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"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/australian-citizenship-authorisation-instrument-2025","history":"/api/acts/australian-citizenship-authorisation-instrument-2025/history","analysis":"/api/acts/australian-citizenship-authorisation-instrument-2025/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/australian-citizenship-authorisation-instrument-2025/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/australian-citizenship-authorisation-instrument-2025/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/australian-citizenship-authorisation-instrument-2025/documents"}}