{"id":"F2026L00269","name":"Defence (Security Authorised Member of the Defence Force—Training and Qualification Requirements for Military Working Dog Handlers) Determination 2026","slug":"f2026l00269","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":443201,"registerId":"F2026L00269-fast-fetch-1775958103872","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Defence (Security Authorised Member of the Defence Force—Training and Qualification Requirements for Military Working Dog Handlers) Determination 2026","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\nDefence (Security Authorised Member of the Defence Force—Training and Qualification Requirements for Military Working Dog Handlers) Determination 2026\n\nI, Major General Christopher Smith, DSC, AM, CSC, Deputy Chief of Army, delegate of the Minister for Defence, make the following determination.\n\nDated 16 March 2026\n\nMajor General Christopher Smith, DSC, AM, CSC\n\nDeputy Chief of Army\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1  Name\n\n2  Commencement\n\n3  Authority\n\n4  Definitions\n\n5  Training and qualification requirements\n\n6  Schedules\n\nSchedule 1—Repeals\n\n \n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Defence (Security Authorised Member of the Defence Force—Training and Qualification Requirements for Military Working Dog Handlers) Determination 2026.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n  This instrument commences on the day after this instrument is registered.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under subsection 71C(4) of the Defence Act 1903.\n\n4  Definitions\n\n  In this instrument:\n\n  security authorised member of the Defence Force has the same meaning given by section 71C of the Defence Act 1903.\n\nNote: Paragraph 71C(5)(b) of the Defence Act 1903 provides that the Minister must determine training and qualification requirements that apply to security authorised members of the Defence Force in relation to the use of dogs as referred to in section 72M of the Defence Act 1903.\n\n5  Training and qualification requirements\n\n (1) This section sets out the training and qualification requirements for a person to be a military working dog handler.\n\n (2) The person must satisfy the training requirements set out in subsections 5(2) and 5(3) of the Defence (Security authorised member of the Defence Force—Training and qualification requirements for Identification and Search Wardens) Determination 2025.\n\n (3) If the person is a member of the Royal Australian Air Force the person must have:\n\n (a) successfully completed the Military Working Dog Handler Basic Course; and\n\n (b) while working with an assigned dog as a military working dog team—been assessed by the manager of a military working dog section in the Royal Australian Air Force as proficient at the operational level of capability.\n\n (4) If the person is a member of the Australian Army and is assigned an explosive detection dog, the person must have:\n\n (a) successfully completed the Australian Army Explosive Detection Dog Basic Handler Course; and\n\n (b) while working with an assigned dog as a military working dog team—been assessed by the manager of a military working dog section in the Australian Army as proficient at the minimum level of capability.\n\n(5)  The person must:\n\n (a) if the person is a member of the Royal Australian Air Force—successfully complete the Military Working Dog Proficiency Assessment every 12 months; or\n\n (b) if the person is a member of the Australian Army and is assigned an explosive detection dog—successfully complete the Explosive Detection Dog Continuation Training every 12 months.\n\n \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—Repeals\n\nDefence (Security Authorised Members— Military Working Dog Handlers: Training and Qualification Requirements) Determination 2015\n\n1  The whole of the instrument\n\nRepeal the instrument\n\n \n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose of setting training and qualification requirements for military working dog handlers. It replaces a 2015 instrument with the same scope, updating only the specific course names and assessment standards to reflect current Defence practice. No expansion into adjacent areas such as civilian contractors, private security, or non-military dog handling."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument (only 6 sections plus a repeal schedule)","Only 1 defined term ('security authorised member of the Defence Force') which simply references the parent Act","Simple conditional structure: two distinct pathways (Air Force vs Army) with clear, non-nested requirements","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the parent Act (Defence Act 1903) and one reference to a related 2025 Determination","Straightforward annual recertification requirements without exceptions or exemptions","Minimal administrative machinery — no review mechanisms, delegations, or complex commencement rules"],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument updates qualifications for Australian Defence Force military working dog handlers, replacing the 2015 rule with 2026 standards. It sets distinct training and assessment pathways for RAAF handlers and Army explosive‑detection handlers, requires initial basic course completion and on‑the‑job proficiency assessment, and mandates annual re‑certification. It affects service members assigned to work with military working dogs and aims to maintain consistent, operationally safe detection and security capability."},"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":"This instrument replaces the 2015 Determination (Schedule 1) and updates the training regime by: (a) incorporating baseline requirements via a separate 2025 Determination (s5(2)); (b) specifying distinct mandatory basic courses and proficiency assessment standards for RAAF and Army explosive-detection handlers (s5(3)–(4)); and (c) imposing annual recertification obligations (s5(5)). Together these changes reframe and clarify which courses and ongoing training obligations apply to security authorised members under section 71C of the Defence Act (s3, s4, s5)."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-reference to another instrument for baseline training requirements (section 5(2) refers to the Defence (Identification and Search Wardens) Determination 2025), requiring readers to consult multiple documents.","Service-specific requirements: distinct mandatory courses and assessment standards for Royal Australian Air Force (s5(3), s5(5)(a)) and Australian Army explosive detection handlers (s5(4), s5(5)(b)).","Annual recertification/continuation training obligation (s5(5)) creates recurring compliance burden and scheduling considerations.","Delegated assessment authority: proficiency assessments are performed by managers of military working dog sections in each service (s5(3)(b), s5(4)(b)), introducing administrative discretion and local implementation variance.","Repeal of prior instrument (Schedule 1) necessitates comparison with the 2015 Determination to identify substantive changes.","Legal authority and commencement mechanics anchored to the Defence Act (s3 cites subsection 71C(4)); readers must understand the statutory delegation enabling this determination."],"plain_english_summary":"This determination sets the training and qualification rules for Australian Defence Force military working dog handlers. It requires specific basic courses and annual proficiency/continuation training for Royal Australian Air Force handlers and Australian Army explosive-detection handlers, ties some requirements to a separate 2025 determination, and repeals the 2015 instrument. It affects service members authorised under section 71C of the Defence Act and matters because it defines the minimum training and ongoing assessment they must meet to operate working dogs."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/f2026l00269","history":"/api/acts/f2026l00269/history","analysis":"/api/acts/f2026l00269/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/f2026l00269/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/f2026l00269/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/f2026l00269/documents"}}